From American Country Girl, to Ouran Academy Hostess
by Tatsuki Vermilion
Summary: So I was checking my email the other day when I saw one from a high school. Granted my high SAT and ACT scores had really gotten me noticed by colleges, so I was used to getting pointless emails from large campuses I didn't want to step foot upon. But a high school? And that's not even the craziest part. This high school... was Ouran Academy. Haruhi/Host & OC/Host.
1. Prologue

No. I have not forgotten about _Stripes of the Past_ , _A Love Frozen in Time_ , or my _CharacterXReader_ fics. I just got writer's block on all of them. And yes, evidently it is possible to get writer's block on a request that already has a plot given to you. Don't know how that works, but it somehow is because none of them are what I would like them to be. So, in the meantime, here is this! I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

 **Prologue**

"What the what?" rose pink lips muttered. Blue eyes blinked several times, trying to make sense of the words on the screen. A dainty finger placed itself between pearl white teeth, a baby pink tongue pressing up against the lightly tanned creamy skin. A sigh softly blew out of the petite nose.

"Since when do I get emails from high schools?" A slim pointer finger moved gracefully over the touch-pad, moving the cursor on screen. A gentle tap opened the email. Cerulean orbs scanned the electronic letter, widening as their owner comprehended what they said. "Mom! Come here!" A redhead ran in, blue eyes wide.

"What is it, Kea?" The 45-year-old woman's brunette daughter looked up over her laptop screen.

"Have you ever heard of Ouran Academy?" Her mother nodded.

"Of course! It's a prestigious school only for the super-rich and brilliant of Japan." Having said that, a look of confusion graced her pale features. "Why do you ask?" Kea shrugged, looking back at her computer.

"Because they just sent me an email saying the chairman will be arriving here in two days to meet me in person." Cerulean eyes, identical to the younger woman's, widened as the elder woman bolted over to her daughter's side. She too read the letter, beaming like she had just won the lottery. She grabbed her daughter's shoulders, making her face her.

"Do you know what this means!?" Kea stayed silent, knowing it was a rhetorical question. "You've been given a full ride to Ouran Academy!" The redhead stepped back, clasping her hands over her chest. "With a diploma from them, you can go anywhere you want!" The fourteen year old sighed, returning her attention to her computer as her mother continued to daydream, stars in her eyes and her mind in the clouds.

"Lucky me."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kea watched as the limousine pulled up to their driveway. A tall, black haired man stepped out, nodding to the driver. Her parents were already waiting outside for the man. She, on the other hand, was sitting in the parlor, wondering about just what the heck was going on.

 _'Why me? I'm a foreigner, an American. He runs a school in Japan for the filthy rich. My family is just middle class. Granted, upper middle class Americans, but it's not like we're millionaires or something. I don't see why I'm that important that he would come out here personally just to see me.'_ Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

 _'This has to be for another reason than just my test scores. There's no way he would care about them. They are meant for getting into American schools. They have no bearing on overseas attendance, unless you're planning on teaching. Which I'm not.'_

Her thoughts were cut short by the entrance of the three adults. Her mother was babbling away, while her father stood there quietly. Kea thanked the high heavens she took after him. It would certainly make this a lot less painful.

"Darling, this is Yuzuru Suou, Chairman of the Ouran Academy. Mr. Suou, this is my daughter, Kea." Kea rose, politely bowing at the waist slightly.

"Sore wa, Suō-shi anata o mitasu tame ni hijō ni īdesu. **1** " His blue eyes widened.

"I was unaware you knew Japanese, Miss Kea." Kea rose from her bow, motioning to the chair across from her. Suou sat down, crossing his legs and interlacing his fingers. Kea sat down as well, smoothing the skirt her mother had insisted she wear.

"I make a point of knowing all I can about the cultures of guests. Particularly if I find something about them intriguing." He smirked, hiding his amusement behind his hands.

"Interesting. You remind me of Kyoya, the son of a colleague of mine." Kea tilted her head. "Oh it's a good thing, I assure you. Not many people in today's society actually bother to look beyond the surface. It is something I admire, especially in a potential student." She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Now, I believe we can dispense with the formalities and get down to business." Kea's parents sat on the couch as Yuzuru leaned forward. "As you know, I sent an email to you, offering you a full ride to Ouran Academy." The young brunette nodded. "I understand you just finished your first year of high-school."

"Yes, that is correct."

"If you'll excuse my rudeness, might I inquire how old you are, Kea?"

"Fourteen." Yuzuru closed his eyes, resting his lips on his fingers.

"My my. That is most impressive." He opened his eyes slightly, examining her. Kea stared right back, not giving a mental inch. A slight smirk pulled up at his lips as they opened. "Watashi wa tanomu kamo shire baai wa, jō Kea shima, anata wa imamade kōkō no toshi ni sai juken o kentō shite imasu ka? **2** " Kea's parents' eyes widened, while Kea just smirked.

"Anmari. Watashi wa itsumo kurasu de sainenshōdattanode, sore wa jissai ni mae ni sodatete kimashita. Shikashi, watashi wa kanarazu karera no reberu de nenchō no kodomo-tachi o mitasu koto ga dekitanode, nenrei no mondai wa sodachimasendeshita. Naze kiku nodesu ka? **3** " Yuzuru chuckled.

"It seems you are quite fluent in Japanese as well, Miss Kea. You don't even have an accent." Kea smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment, Yuzuru-sama. However, that does not answer my question."

"Of course. I'm sure you are well aware that, with no disrespect to America meant of course, Japan is much more rigorous in their academics than most nations." Kea nodded.

"That is a good point." She tapped her chin in thought. "So, what you're saying is, watashi wa amerikahito Toshio-nami no kamo shirenaiga, watashi wa jissai ni wa mada Nihon no gakujutsu oyobi nenrei kijunde wa shin'nyūsei ni naru to iu kotodesu. **4** " Yuzuru nodded.

"That is correct." Kea's mother cleared her throat.

"Not to be rude, but what are you talking about?" Yuzuru exchanged an amused glance with Kea.

"Why, your daughter's academic future of course." Her father narrowed his eyes.

"Would you care to discuss that in a language we all know?"

"Why Mr. Kaden! I would have thought you impressed at your daughter's ability to fluently speak a foreign language alongside her own. Not to mention she is showing a tremendous amount of respect for me and my culture by speaking in my first language." Kea's mother blushed.

"I believe what my husband is trying to say is that we would appreciate knowing what you are saying, considering she _is_ our daughter after all." Kea lifted a hand, hiding her snickers. Yuzuru was equally amused, but hid it better. "If that is alright with you, that is."

"If you must know… your daughter and I were discussing her grade placement." The American girl's parents exchanged a confused look.

"Wouldn't she be with the second-year students?"

"In America, yes." Kea sat back, interlacing her fingers as she hooked her hands around her skirt-clad knee. "However, Japan is much more rigorous that even you are, Mother. As such, while I may be ahead by American standards, I am still an eighth grader to the Japanese."

"I wouldn't degrade you so far as to call you a middle schooler. Let's say a…" Yuzuru thought for a moment. "A first year honor student." Kea's eyes widened.

"An honor student?" Yuzuru nodded. "I can live with that."

"But… we wanted her to attend college in three years."

"I understand that. However, Ouran Academy is world-renowned. Should your daughter graduate with high grades and high esteem from myself and the board members, she will be welcomed with open arms into any college on the face of the planet." The parents' eyes widened again. "And, seeing as how I am offering her a full ride, complete with room and board and food expenses, the least you could do is humor me and give me four years of your daughter's life." Her mother sighed, looking at her lap. Her father looked at her.

"What do you want to do, Kea?"

"I want to do it. As Suou-sama pointed out, I would be at a disadvantage if I went in as a second year student. And he is correct in that the least I could do is attend his school for four years, considering the expenses he has put into me. Besides, I've always wanted to live in Japan, and I can't think of a better opportunity than this." Yuzuru smiled. "However… I have to ask." Kea stared into the Chairman's blue eyes. "Why me?" He blinked.

"I'm afraid I don't understand your question."

"I'm sure there are plenty of other students that you could choose from in Japan and closer countries, particularly France and England. However, you have specifically chosen me, an American student. You have even gone so far as to meet me and my family in person, whereas a phone interview would have been much easier and more cost-efficient for you." Kea's brown eyes narrowed. "I think you are here for more than _my_ academic well-being." Yuzuru examined the girl. Her parents were beginning to think she had offended him… when he burst out laughing.

"You would make a fine wife for Kyoya." Kea blushed at that. Still chuckling, Yuzuru explained. "Yes, I am here for more than your academic success. It is a selfish reason, actually."

"And what might that be?"

"I want Ouran Academy to be the first prestigious school for the filthy rich of Japan to have an American student attend. Not only that, but a homeschooler as well." Kea tilted her head. "You see, before this, only those with money coming out of their ears were able to attend Ouran. However, this year, your score of 2298 on the SAT and 29 on the ACT blew students one academic year and two physical years ahead of you out of the water. Also, a student in Japan has had similar success as you. You see, she is a straight A student as well, scoring higher than other students, and, what we would call, poor, which makes her an honor student, having received a full ride as well."

Kea smiled as she caught on. "You want to show to the world that Ouran isn't as stuck up as some may think. By having a commoner and a foreigner attend, you are proving that anyone can get in. Also, most countries look down on girls, believing them to be not as competent as male students. But by both of your honor students being female, you are, again, proving them wrong." Yuzuru nodded.

"That is true, but you have yet to pinpoint my selfish reason."

"By giving both of us scholarships, you are throwing a stereotype of being stuck up and haughty back at your competitors' faces." Yuzuru laughed.

"That's a very blunt way of putting it." He sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. "And I wouldn't have phrased it any other way." Kea smirked. "So… do you accept? Will you attend Ouran Academy?" Yuzuru stuck out his hand. Kea shook.

"I will."

* * *

 _ **Translations  
**_ **1)** It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Suou.  
 **2)** If I might ask, Miss Kea, have you ever considered retaking a year of high school?  
 **3)** Not really. Because I was always the youngest in the class, it has actually been brought up before. However, since I was always able to meet the older kids in their level, the age issue was not brought up. Why do you ask?  
 **4)** Is that while I may be on par with American sophomores, I would actually still be a freshman by Japan's academic and age standards.

5 reviews/favorites/follows needed for next chapter! Love ya'll!


	2. Chapter 1

Wow. I ask for 5 reviews/favorites/follows, and I get 8 follows, 5 favorites, and 3 reviews. Most of that within the first night of this story being published. You didn't even give me time to start on the next chapter! You guys are awesome!  
Love you all! ;-*  
Hope the chapter is alright. I had kind of a rough few days, so if it sucks tell me and I'll rewrite it.

* * *

 **Chapter I**

Kea sighed as she lay back on the massive bed. The maids had long since left after they had finished unpacking her belongings.

"Who on earth needs this big of a room?" the brunette muttered to herself. Sighing, she rolled off the king-sized bed, walking over to the twenty foot tall window. Yuzuru Suou had given her a corner dorm room, far away from the other students. Kea didn't mind for two reasons.

One was the fact that she actually liked the distance between her and the rich brats. The second was the view: unobstructed views of the gardens of Ouran Academy, as well as the main school hall. Ouran actually had several halls, but only one was used for academic purposes. All the others housed different clubs, such as the karate club, the swimming pools, and one was purely ballrooms connected to ballrooms. Kea shook her head.

"At least I have a few days to get acclimated before everyone else arrives." She turned around, surveying the massive suite. A king sized canopy bed, a walk-in closet that could easily hold the bed with room to spare on every side, a bathroom with a full-sized shower and a miniature spa as a tub… it was overwhelming, especially for a California country girl.

Upon arriving in Japan two days ago, Yuzuru himself showed her around Ouran's campus. Thankfully, only the gardeners were around. Kea didn't feel like explaining to anyone what she was doing with the chairman of the school. In any case, by the time she had gotten to the dorms, her feet were killing her.

Yuzuru had finally consented to her not wearing a standard uniform after the fitters came in, took one look at her, and promptly began complaining that the yellow of the dress would never look good with Kea's skin tone. She hadn't said it out loud, but Kea completely agreed. Not to mention she hated wearing dresses outside occasions that called for them. Which left the boys uniform: black dress pants, a white collared shirt, and a lavender-blue blazer.

The fitters tweaked it so it would look more feminine, and, to appease Yuzuru, had thrown in a few pairs of black wedge high heels. Kea looked down at her feet, where the black heels were covering her pale toes. She had been walking around in her room, breaking them in. Surprisingly, they were actually very comfortable.

 _'I guess rich people don't spare any expense when it comes to shoes either.'_ She sighed, tossing her waist-length hair over her shoulder. She had let it down once the maids left, and it was a relief to not have all that hair being tied to the top of her head anymore. "Well…" She stuck her fists on her hips, cocking one. "Might as well see where those maids threw my stuff."

影女王

Kea supported her head with one hand, staring with a blank gaze at the teacher. He wasn't saying anything of importance. Or rather, anything that she didn't already know. She mentally sighed, closing her eyes.

 _'And here I was thinking that AP Economics would be harder than the course Mom had me take or Dad's coaching. Guess I was wrong.'_ It had been a week since the start of the new school year for Ouran Academy. Kea had kept to herself, not socializing with any of the other students. Part of it was her natural shyness over being in a new place. However, it was mostly due to the fact that she really didn't want anything to do with the rich of Ouran.

Since walking through the doors on the first day, she had received glares, scoffs of disdain, and purely bewildered looks. Kea had carried on, not sparing them a glance as she walked to her classes. Her stride was filled with self-confidence and dignity. She didn't care that she looked, or dressed, differently from everyone else. She was here to learn, to better herself and her future, not to get picked up by some rich snob who couldn't see past his compact mirror.

Opening her eyes, Kea saw something interesting. A young girl, around the age of fifteen, was sitting in the corner across from Kea. Her brown hair was chopped so short she looked like a boy. Her glasses covered her eyes, which, from her body language, were most likely trained intently on the teacher. Her clothes were far from standard: a white collared shirt under a brown sweater and jeans.

' _I wonder… I bet she is.'_ Kea smiled to herself. _'I think I'm going have to step out of my comfort zone here. But… at least I'll have a chance of having a friend.'_

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Haruhi sighed to herself as she walked down the halls.

 _'How are things in heaven Mom?'_ She looked out the window as a flock of birds flew by. _'I can't believe it's been ten years already.'_

"Hey! Wait up!" Haruhi turned around, confused. A girl was running towards her.

Her chocolate-brown hair was done up in an elaborate braided bun, pinned to the top of her head. To Haruhi's surprise, she wasn't wearing the uniform of a female student. Instead, she wore black dress pants, a white T-shirt, and a lavender-blue vest over that with the crest of Ouran on her right breast. Her dark blue eyes shone behind her gold-rimmed glasses as she stopped in front of Haruhi.

"Hi. Are you Haruhi Fujioka?" Haruhi nodded, earning a smile from the girl. She stuck her hand out. "I'm Kea." Haruhi blinked, recovering her manners. She shook with her.

"The American transfer student?" Kea nodded.

"You betcha." Haruhi nodded.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm Haruhi. It's nice to meet you, Kea-san." Kea laughed, hiding her lips behind her hand.

"Please. There's no need for honorifics. We're all equals here." Haruhi blinked.

"I wouldn't say that." Kea shrugged, shifting her book bag on her shoulder. "So… where were you headed?"

"Looking for you, actually. I saw you in the economics class, and knew right away you weren't like everyone else." Kea smirked. "I lost you in the crowd, but, I figured that if you were anything like me, you would be looking for somewhere quiet to study." Haruhi smiled.

"Yeah… that was the plan at least. I mean, this place has four libraries. You would think one would be quiet." Kea laughed, walking alongside Haruhi. She hadn't even noticed they were moving.

"I know right? I'm beginning to think rich kids only come to school to socialize, not to learn anything." They came to the end of the hall. Kea looked up, tilting her head. "An abandoned music room?" Haruhi shrugged, reaching for the handle.

"Better than nothing." As she turned the handle, rose petals flew out.

"Welcome," several voices chorused. Haruhi and Kea blinked in shock at the sight before them. Turns out, the room wasn't abandoned. Instead… it was being used by the infamous Ouran Academy Host Club.

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kyoya blinked in surprise as two figures stepped into the room. One was obviously a girl, and American. The other's gender… that was hard to tell, even for him. What he did know, was that both were freshmen, and both were honor students. Lucky for him, there were two other freshmen that he knew quite well.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, I believe these two are in your class, aren't they?" The twins nodded.

"Yeah but they're shy. They're always hanging out and talking together in a corner of the room away from everyone else. They don't act very sociably so we don't know much about them." The duo spoke in unison, even shrugging at the same time, in the same way. Kyoya closed his eyes, smiling. A lightbulb turned on in his head.

' _So both of the honor students are girls, huh? Interesting.'_ "Well that wasn't very polite." He opened his eyes again, looking at the girls. "Welcome to the Ouran Host Club… Mademoiselles Honor Students." Tamaki leapt up from his chair.

"What?! _You're_ Haruhi Fujioka and Kea?" Kyoya noticed the longer haired brunette froze, while the shorter one stopped trying to open the door.

"How do you know our names?" the American demanded.

"Why you're infamous. It's not every day a commoner, let alone one from America, gains entrance into our academy." She narrowed her eyes at him at that. He couldn't resist adding insult to injury, though. "You both must have an audacious nerve to work hard enough to fight your way into this school, Miss Kea and Mr. Fujioka." Kea visibly bristled at being called an 'audacious commoner'. Before she could say anything, Haruhi spoke up.

"Well, uh… thank you. I guess."

"You're welcome!" Tamaki slapped a hand around Haruhi's shoulders. "You are a hero to other poor people, Fujioka. You've shown the world that even a poor person can excel at an elite private academy!" As Tamaki showed off, Kyoya allowed himself to look over Kea. She was standing off to the side, watching with a rather irritable look on her face as Tamaki chased around Haruhi. Her dark blue eyes sparked from behind her glasses with irritation and anger, the latter emotion no doubt caused by Kyoya's comment.

' _She's very interesting indeed.'_ He smirked to himself, gripping his chin with two fingers. _'I'd say about… five foot nine, though those shoes probably add at least an inch. Which makes her about five eight. Creamy skin… she gets out in the sun enough to be healthy but not tan. Odd... I had thought all American girls like being tan.'_ His smirk grew.

 _'She definitely has her own sense of individuality. Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone attend Ouran with_ that _uniform. I wonder if she had it specially made. I'll have to look into that._

' _Chocolate brown hair with faint red highlights… her father's recessive. Which means her mother must have the brown hair. However, her attitude is awfully independent. Perhaps she takes after her mother in appearance and father in demeanor.'_ Kyoya fully smiled now, creeping out the twins. _'She will be most worth looking into, especially considering there is hardly any information on her in the school database.'_ Tamaki's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"We welcome you, poor man, to our world, of beauty!" A rather large tick mark appeared on Kea's temple. Grabbing Haruhi's hand, she began to stalk out of the room, albeit gracefully.

"Thank you, but we were just looking for a quiet place to study. So, if you'll excuse us!" She turned on her heel (Kyoya noticed she was wearing black wedges instead of brown pumps), making her way towards the door. Haruhi didn't fight her, instead keeping pace. They didn't get very far, however. A smaller arm wrapped around one of theirs, tugging both back.

"Come back here, Haru-tan and Kea-chan! You two must be like superheroes or something! That's so cool!" Haruhi spoke first. Kea was still staring at the shortest member of the Host Club like she was in shock.

"I'm not a hero. I'm an honor student." She gasped as his words caught up with her. "And who are you calling Haru-chan!?" He stumbled back under her yell. Kea shook out of her stare, chuckling softly at Haruhi's reaction.

"I never would have imagined the famous scholar… would be so openly gay." Kea and Haruhi froze, staring at Tamaki like he was some sort of alien.

"Openly _what_?" They chorused. Kyoya fought the urge to snicker.

' _These two girls could pass as sisters!'_

"So tell me what kind of guys you're into. Do you like the Strong, Silent Type? The Boy Lolita? How 'bout the Mischievous Type? Or the Cool Type?"

Kyoya was sure Kea turned three shades of pale before a light green hue appeared on her cheeks. Haruhi was just plain pale. She started stumbling back… straight for a vase. Kyoya's eyes widened slightly.

' _This'll be interesting.'_

"Or maybe…" Tamaki reached out, stroking Haruhi's jaw. Kea went from green to red. "You're into a guy like me. What do you say?" What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion.

Kea reached out to remove Tamaki's hand from Haruhi's chin. Haruhi leapt back, thus separating herself from Tamaki. Haruhi's elbow hit the vase, knocking it off the podium. Haruhi reached out, grasping for the handle…

In vain.

The vase shattered on the floor. Haruhi stared in horror at the remains. Kea was balanced on her toes, in shock over what just happened. She straightened, brushing off her clothes and fixing her glasses. The twins appeared over Haruhi's shoulders.

"Ah. We were going to feature that Renaissance vase in an upcoming school auction!" Hikaru complained.

"Oh now you've done it commoner! The bidding on that vase supposed to start at 8 million yen!" Kaoru lamented.

"What!? 8 million yen!?" Haruhi's head dropped as her hand came up, trying to count off how many thousand yen were in 8 million. "I'm gonna have to pay you back."

"With what money? You can't even afford a school uniform. What's with that grubby outfit you've got on anyway?" Kyoya stepped over, taking up a piece of the broken pottery.

"Well, what do you think we should do, Tamaki?" The blonde sat down, crossing his legs.

"There's a famous saying you may have heard, Fujioka. When in Rome you should do as the Romans do." Kyoya peeked over at Kea. She had a surprisingly impassive expression.

' _What are you thinking, Miss Kea?'_

"Since you have no money you can pay with your body." Kea stiffened at that. "That means starting today… you are the Host Club's dog." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow when her body language relaxed slightly.

' _Surely she didn't think that he meant_ that _. I wonder if that's an American thing.'_

"Excuse me." Everyone looked over at Kea. "Um, yeah hi. Don't you think you're being a little unfair?" Tamaki blinked.

"How so?" Kea crossed her arms, cocking her hips.

"Well… it is kind of _your_ fault the vase broke in the first place." His eyes widened.

"How!?"

"You were encroaching on Haruhi's personal space." Kea's eyes hardened. "It's only natural for someone to make room between them and someone whom is making them uncomfortable as quickly as possible. It just so happened that that vase was there in the way."

"So how is that Tama-chan's fault?"

"It's not his fault for the placement of the vase. It's his fault for making Haruhi uncomfortable, thus making the need for personal space mandatory. As such, it is his fault that space was created violently." Tamaki's eyes widened.

"I… never thought of that." His head dropped. "You are right. I was being too forward with Fujioka."

"It's… alright Kea." Everyone turned to see Haruhi getting up from the floor where she had fainted. "I don't mind." Kea's face took on an almost motherly concern.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be suckered into anything by these boys." Haruhi shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine." Kea narrowed her eyes. Haruhi smiled gently at her. "Seriously."

"No. I'm not comfortable leaving you here. Especially considering what I just witnessed," Her gaze swept to Tamaki, who felt a chill down his spine. "I'd say these boys need to learn the concept of personal space. As such…" She took a deep breath. "I shall stay with you until your debt is paid, or they have learned to respect you."

"You don't need to-" Kea clamped a hand over Haruhi's mouth.

"My mind is made up, and there is nothing you can do to change it. Don't even try." She removed her hand, smirking at everyone's dumbfounded expressions. "It's an American _commoner_ thing, something you _rich punks_ wouldn't know anything about." Her eyes flicked to Kyoya at the word 'commoner' and the twins at 'rich punks'. Kyoya smirked.

 _'I do believe the Host Club just got a whole lot more interesting.'_


	3. Chapter 2

Ya'll are amazing, you know that? This story has been up for less than a month, and it already has 14 favorites and 10 followers. I can't say thank you enough. So, in place of that, here is Chapter 2! I hope you guys like it!

* * *

 **Chapter II**

Kea sighed as she watched the Host Club interact with their customers. She was hanging out in the back, leaning against a pillar. Her arms were crossed under her chest, her right calf crossed over her left shin. Her book bag lay abandoned at her feet.

' _So much for being able to study in peace.'_ Footsteps sounded behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Vice-President, Kyoya Ootori, standing behind her. _'And this is the guy Yuzuru said I would be a perfect wife for? I don't know if I should be offended or flattered.'_

"Is there something wrong, Miss Kea?" She could hear the smirk in his voice. Kea scoffed, looking back at the crowded room just as Haruhi walked back in. Her arms were laden with grocery bags.

"Oh no. I'm perfectly fine, seeing my friend being treated like a slave. Nope! Everything's good. How 'bout you?" She didn't bother hiding her sarcasm.

"Sarcasm won't get you very far, Kea-san."

"Bite me, Kyoya." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his eyes narrow at the lack of honorific.

"Nor will disrespect."

"Where I'm from, we don't use honorifics. So _excuse me_ if I don't use them as often as you do." Kyoya sighed.

"You do realize you are here of your own free will. You can leave any time."

"I'll leave when you treat Haruhi like a normal human being." Kyoya's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? She's simply serving her station. Just because she's an honor student doesn't mean that she'll get special treatment." Kyoya watched Kea's face. To his surprise, she didn't show any surprise at him knowing Haruhi's true gender. "You don't seem surprised."

"At you knowing Haruhi's really a girl? I noticed you said Mademoiselles, as in plural, at first. You only changed to calling her a boy when no one else caught on." Kea looked at him.

"I know all about you and your family, Kyoya _Ootori_. I also know you have the school records at your disposal." She smirked, pushing off the pillar. "Which is why nothing on me besides my first name, grade, nationality, and gender is in there." She picked up her bag, walking away. "You won't find me as easy to crack as some. That I promise you."

Kyoya watched her walk away, heading towards the abandoned grand piano in the corner. She set her bag on the ground as she sat on the bench. Crossing her legs, she placed a book on her knee, supported her arm on the key cover, rested her chin in her hand, and began to read. From what he was able to tell, it was in English, not Japanese.

"I always welcome a challenge, Kea. That… _I_ promise _you_."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Tamaki looked over his shoulder at Kea. She had retreated to the corner of the room, which just happened to be home to a grand piano that wasn't being used. Pursing his lips in a smirk as an idea came to him, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, Hikaru and Kaoru came up to him. Beckoning them down with a finger, he whispered his plan to them. Nodding, they ran off to Kea.

"What was that about, Tamaki?" The blonde looked at his customer.

"Nothing, my princess. You shouldn't concern yourself with trifling matters." The girls swooned. Kea looked up as two shadows fell over her. The twins were standing over her, looking down at her book.

"Can I help you?"

"What are you reading?" Kea snapped it shut with one hand, making them jump.

"Nothing that concerns you." As she stuck the book back into her bag, she caught them pouting. "What?"

"Why are you being so mean?" the one with his hair split to the right complained.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The one with his hair split to the left huffed, crossing his arms.

"You're just like Kyoya-senpai, you know that?" Kea shrugged, leaning against the piano.

"What of that?"

"Well… we were wondering that…" The first one smirked. "Since you're going to be here for a while, you might as well work." Kea lifted an eyebrow.

"Doing what, exactly?"

"You could be Kyoya's assistant." Kea looked at the one on her left. "You look the part, and we have a spare dress in the back for you. Besides the fact that you two seem to get along really well, and we could use the help in managing our club." Both clasped their hands under their chins, pouting.

"Please?" they chorused. Kea blushed at how close they were to her. She closed her eyes, forcefully turning her head away.

"Does Kyoya consent?" That stopped them.

"Uh… well… this is actually Tamaki's idea."

"What is Tamaki's idea?" The twins sprung to the side, identical mirrored positions as they stared at Kyoya. Kea looked up at the bespectacled Host.

"Evidently Tamaki wants me to be your assistant, and he set these two up to convince me to agree." Kyoya hummed, gripping his chin.

"What do you know about running a Club?"

"My father taught me every type of economic philosophy in order to prepare me for anything." Kyoya smirked.

"Very well then. I shall take you on. Let's go." Kea sighed, getting up.

"Fine. Just don't expect me to bend over backwards for you."

影女王

Kyoya looked up from his notebook to watch Kea. She was typing away at the computer, scanning over the documents. Her glasses rested on the table next to her, which surprised him. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't been wearing her glasses while reading her book either.

Once she had consented, begrudgingly he had noticed, to being his assistant, the twins had dragged her into the back to change. Both had come back with bruises on their backs in the exact shape of Kea's shoes. Kyoya didn't doubt them from her kicking them out of the dressing room. He smirked to himself as he looked over her form from the corner of his eye.

It was a similar style to the uniforms of the girls, but the same color as the uniforms of the males. He had put in the request just in case they ever had a Host _ess_ join. Of course, he had only done it to pacify Tamaki, so he hadn't thought it would ever be used. He was genuinely surprised at how well it fit her.

The sleeves the same length as the girl's uniform. The only difference was the lack of cuffs on the sleeves and neckline. Personally, Kyoya didn't like the cuffs. He found they made the girls look too much like secretaries. The skirt of the dress would have brushed along the floor had she not been wearing her wedges, adding to the originality. The uniforms ordinarily stopped at the knees, showing off the stockings and pumps the female students wore.

Kyoya frowned to himself as he remembered he hadn't actually had enough time to see her walking around to see if the length was appropriate. He made a mental note to check that. Other than that, the color and overall style flattered her, accenting her curves and skin coloring. His eyes widened when he realized that he had been, in essence, 'checking her out'.

"Kyoya." Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Hiding it with a soft hum, he lifted his eyes slightly from his book. Kea wasn't looking at him, instead keeping her eyes on the laptop screen.

"Yes? What is it, Kea-san?"

"Why does the Host Club spend so much money on sweets?" Kyoya sighed, standing up. Walking over, he put a hand on his hip while placing his other on the table so he could look over Kea's shoulder. Keeping one eye on her to gauge her reaction, he looked at the screen.

"Honey-senpai is absolutely obsessed with sweets. Candy, cake, cookies… you name it." Kea hummed, sitting back in the chair. Kyoya was mildly surprised at how comfortable she was with having a male so close to her. If he wanted to, all he had to do to keep her in that chair or touch her was lift a hand.

"He's the short blonde one, right?"

"That is correct."

"And he's a noble too, am I right?"

"You are."

"So why doesn't he have his servants make him stuff, and then bring it to school? That way he could still have his sweets, which I can't think would be healthy, and then you wouldn't have to spend so much money on it." Kyoya's eyes widened slightly.

"Unfortunately, he does bring his own sweets." Kea's head whipped around so she stared at him. This close, Kyoya was able to see the faint strands of brown in her irises. He struggled against the urge to look lower.

"So you're telling me that he eats enough to be costing you _that_ much money… and he _still_ eats sweets at home!?" Kyoya nodded. Kea whistled softly, turning her gaze back to the computer. "That kid must have teeth of steel or something."

"Honey-senpai is actually a third-year student. He's hardly a child."

"Well he sure acts like one." Kea stood, grabbing her glasses. "I'm going to get a drink. Care to join me?"

Figuring it couldn't hurt, Kyoya followed her to the kitchen in the back. It was meant for Host Club members only, but, since she was his assistant for as long as Haruhi was working to pay off her debt, Kea was a member as well. Besides, walking behind her gave him a good view of the length of her skirt. Kea grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, filling both three-quarters of the way with water. Leaving one on the counter, she opened the freezer, filling the rest of her cup with ice.

"Aren't you going to do mine as well?"

"I already told you." She stood, taking a sip. "Don't expect me to bend over backwards for you. Besides…" She handed him the glass as she walked out. "I didn't know whether or not you liked ice in it." Kyoya watched her leave, sitting back down at the computer.

"That's an interesting notion, Kea-san."

影女王

Kea sighed, sitting back in the chair. She had been typing away at the computer for an hour now. Turns out, most of the money the Host Club made went towards Honey's massive intake of sweets. She shook her head, looking over her shoulder at the small teen that was rolling around on one of the couches in between two girls.

"What does he do with all that sugar?"

"Who? Honey-senpai?" Kea started, whirling to face one of the twins. From the parting of his hair and his voice, she knew he was Hikaru. He shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Haven't you ever tried to convince him to eat less?" Kea lifted an eyebrow at how quickly Hikaru's entire body paled. "What?"

"Do you know anything about Honey-senpai?!" he whispered.

"Nope."

"Well, for starters, Honey isn't his real name." Kea looked over her left shoulder, mentally cursing at how careless she had been to allow two people to sneak up on her.

"Then what is his real name?" Kaoru smiled. He exchanged a glance with his brother. "What is it now?"

"We'll tell you…" both leaned over her. "If you agree to be our new toy." Kea scoffed, swiftly pushing back her chair. Both stumbled back.

"I'll pass." Kea walked out of the Host Club. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone clearly not Haruhi carrying Haruhi's bag. Narrowing her eyes, Kea shadowed the person.

It ended up being one of Tamaki's customers, a redhead that had insulted Haruhi. Kea's eyes narrowed further. Reaching inside her dress, she brought out her phone from where she had placed it on her chest. Unlocking it, she wasted no time in opening the camera. Snapping a burst of pictures, she captured the moment that Haruhi's bag was thrown out.

"Gotcha."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kyoya watched as Kea walked back in. He had noticed Princess Ayanokouji walking out earlier, and Kea following thirty seconds after. He knew it wasn't a coincidence when Kea came back, sat down at the table, and began typing as if nothing happened. And he intended to find out just why Kea had followed the redhead.

Turns out, he didn't have to wait long.

As he watched Kea, he noticed her plug her phone into the laptop. Knowing her disposition, Kyoya knew that if he tried to approach her, she would notice. Instead, he entertained his customers. He had just finished when Kea walked over to him, holding a couple documents.

"I printed out the graphs you wanted." She dropped them on his notebook. He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Kea-san." She nodded, dragging her fingertips across the pages as she turned around to leave. When he looked down to straighten them, he noticed two corners. Each was separate from the other. Curiosity peaked, Kyoya removed the first document. His eyes widened behind his glasses.

' _So this is what she was doing with her phone. Downloading pictures!'_ There were three. The first was of Ayanokouji taking Haruhi's bag. The second was her throwing the bag outside the window. The third was of Haruhi's bag and its contents floating in the pond outside.

Kyoya looked up in time to see Kea duck into the back. He smiled to himself. Replacing the paper over the pictures, he walked to the back as well. Kea was waiting for him, her arms crossed as she leaned against the counter.

"So this is why you left, huh?" Kea nodded.

"Thought you might want to add that to your knowledge about her."

"Do you know anything about her?" Kea shook her head.

"Nope, and I don't care to." Kyoya snickered. "What?" He shook his head.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing if you're laughing." Kyoya pushed up his glasses, hiding his smirk.

"Just that I might actually like having you around as my assistant." His eyes opened slightly to see Kea's naturally pink cheeks red. "You know… the embarrassed look looks good on you."

"Oh shut up." Kea stalked out of the back. "You're just full of yourself." Kyoya laughed to himself, watching her leave.

"Naturally."

影女王

Kea stood in the shadows of the pillar, watching Ayanokouji. It was Haruhi's second day as a host, the third since she broke the vase. To everyone's surprise, Ayanokouji had requested her today instead of Tamaki. Kea had immediately sensed something wasn't right. So, instead of assisting Kyoya, she was shadowing Ayanokouji. What was odd, was that the others seemed to be just on edge as her.

' _And here I had them all pinned as idiots. Except Kyoya and Takashi of course. Maybe Mitsukuni. I've got a feeling that that kid is a classic 'more-than-meets-the-eye' situation.'_ Kea's eyes narrowed as she caught Haruhi's words.

"You're jealous of me." Recognizing the look in Ayanokouji's eyes, Kea sprang out from behind the pillar. Catching Ayanokouji's chair with one hand, she stuck a foot behind a leg and stabilized the table with her other hand. Everyone jumped up, looking at Kea in shock.

"Wha… who are you!?" Ayanokouji demanded. Kea smiled sweetly, straightening. She didn't let go of the chair however.

"Oh, just the assistant manager." The redhead's eyes widened. "But aside from that, are you alright Princess?"

"What?"

"I noticed your chair being moved back rather violently. Also, the table started tipping towards you." Kea closed her eyes, smiling. "I'm sure you'll forgive me for just jumping out at you like that. I just couldn't bear the thought of one of our customers potentially getting hurt." Ayanokouji narrowed her eyes.

"It was no accident." She tried to stand, but found herself unable to push the chair back. Realizing Kea was still holding it, she pointed a finger at Haruhi. "He tried to molest me!" Everything became dead quiet. Tamaki walked over, a surprisingly serious expression clouding his face. Kea backed off, allowing Ayanokouji to stand.

"Do something, Tamaki. Haruhi just tried to assault me, and your stupid assistant manager is defending him!" Kea narrowed her eyes at the girl. When a hand gently rested on her shoulder, she looked up in surprise to see Kyoya standing right behind her. Another hand rested on her opposite shoulder, this one belonging to Takashi.

"I'm disappointed in you." Tamaki's voice wasn't addressing Haruhi. "You threw his bag into the pond, didn't you?"

"You don't know that! Do you have any proof that I did?" Kea opened her mouth, but a slight squeeze from both Kyoya and Takashi told her to stay quiet. She begrudgingly shut her mouth, biting her tongue.

"You know, you're a beautiful girl. But you aren't classy enough to be our guest, dear." Kea's eyes widened. "If there's one thing I know…" Tamaki's eyes hardened. "Haruhi is not that kind of a man." Ayanokouji teared up.

"Why Tamaki?" She pushed passed him, crying. "You idiot!" Everyone watched her leave. Feeling the mood ruined, the other girls dispersed as well, leaving just the Host Club.

"Well then." Kyoya took his hand off of Kea's shoulder. Takashi did as well, albeit much more reluctantly. "I think it's time we let the cat out of the bag, don't you Kea-san?" She looked up at him, slightly confused. "Well… it seems Tamaki is still in the dark about Haruhi." Her eyes widened, before she smirked.

"Right." Walking over, she helped Haruhi up. "By the way, are you alright, Haruhi? The table didn't hit you, did it?" The short-haired brunette shook her head.

"No, but some tea did spill on my jacket." Kea looked down. Sure enough, there was a dark splotch on the right side of Haruhi's uniform. Kyoya appeared, holding a bag.

"This is the only spare uniform we have. Sorry, but it's better than a stained one, right?" Haruhi took the bag, looking inside.

"Thanks you guys. I'm going to go change." She walked in the back. The others followed her, Kyoya and Kea exchanging a soft low-five as they passed each other. Takashi and Mitsukuni, who saw, looked at each other, smirking. They stood off to the side as Tamaki grabbed some towels, walking towards the changing room.

"Haruhi! Here you go." He opened the curtain. "I brought you some towels." Haruhi had just taken off her shirt, leaving her in a camisole. The curtain fell from Tamaki's hand.

Finally… the last lightbulb went turned on.

"Haruhi?"

"Yeah?"

"So… you're a girl?" Kea bit her lip, trying to not burst out laughing. Kyoya pushed up his glasses, hiding his amusement as well.

"Biologically speaking, yeah." Haruhi opened the curtain, now dressed in the uniform of a girl. Tamaki freaked out, fervently scratching his head with both of his hands and screaming. Kea turned away, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Listen Senpai. I don't really care if you guys recognize me as a boy or a girl. In my opinion it's more important for someone to be recognized for who they are rather than what sex they are."

Kea regained control of herself, standing next to Kyoya. He crossed his arms, one of his hands brushing her arm. She didn't let on that she knew he did that. In doing so, he kept the contact with his fingers.

"Well isn't this an interesting development." Kyoya stated like he was observing the weather. Kea just smiled.

"Oh yeah." The twins chorused. They had been the third and fourth to figure out Haruhi's true gender. Mitsukuni was the second, having figured it out when he offered her his bunny, Usa-chan. Takashi placed at fifth, finding out when he had lifted her from Tamaki's grasp after he had started whirling her around. Kyoya and Kea had known from the start, Kea just being able to tell upon looking at her, and Kyoya because he had the school archives at his disposal.

"Uh, I have to say Senpai." Kea watched Haruhi as she tried to get Tamaki to stop freaking out. "I thought you were pretty cool earlier." The affect was instantaneous. The blonde went from shocked to beet red. He backed up, a hand over his face. Kyoya snickered as he leaned down to whisper in Kea's ear.

"Now I could be wrong but I think we may be witnessing the beginnings of love here." He grunted in pain when her elbow dug into his side.

"Oh shut up Mr. Superior-Than-Thou." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow, not understanding the reference. The others crowded around Haruhi and Tamaki.

"Being a host and getting fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be that bad." Tamaki's face turned blue in horror and shock. Haruhi turned around, thinking. "I wonder how I can pull it off... I've got it!" She hit a fist on her palm. "I'll just call everyone 'dude' and 'bro' now." Kea leaned her forehead on her fingertips as Haruhi laughed.

 _'That won't work in this environment, Haruhi.'_ She opened her eyes, watching the older girl. _'But… it will be interesting to see how she adapts to her new role.'_ Kea smiled.

"This is going to be fun."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Ayanokouji sat on her bed, fuming.

"I swear if I ever see Haruhi again I am going to make him pay!" A knock at her balcony door startled her. "Who's there!?"

No one answered.

Swiftly standing, Ayanokouji flung open the drapes. No one was standing there.

"What?" A glint of white caught her eye. An envelope was lying on the cobblestones. Opening her door, she looked around nervously as she picked up the letter. Turning it over, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The entire envelop was blank. Walking back inside, she sat down at her desk. She slit the seal with her letter opener. Opening the flap, her eyes narrowed further.

A note was enclosed, along with three pictures. Picking up the note, her skin paled considerably. Her hand began to shake as she reread the words. It wasn't like there were a lot of them… only three.

 ** _"You wanted proof."_** was all it said. Not wanting to, but feeling she should, Ayanokouji dumped out the pictures. As like the words, there were only three. There didn't need to be more. Dropping everything on her desk, Ayanokouji tore out of her room, searching for anyone. She came across her father.

"Father!" He whirled, immediately worried.

"What is it, darling?"

"Someone is blackmailing me!" His eyes widened.

"What!? How do you know!?"

"Someone left an envelope on my balcony. You know how I told you about that stupid brat, Fujioka?"

"The one that turned the Host Club against you?" Ayanokouji nodded.

"Well, someone's defending him. They had pictures of me throwing Haruhi's bag into the pond." Ayanokouji clenched her fists. "He's just a second-rate citizen, but he's somehow able to put people against me! I got banned from the Host Club because of him!" Her father rested his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll get to the bottom of this, and I'll have whoever it is punished. Promise." Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he walked away, pulling out his phone as he did. Ayanokouji watched him go… waiting till he had turned the corner before laughing.

"Whoever you are… you made a huge mistake making me your enemy."

* * *

Tell me what you guys think!


	4. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Here's chapter three for you!  
By the way, if I could bother you guys for a favor, drop by my page and vote for what CharacterXReader Scenario fic I should do after I complete my TMNT and/or Bleach one.

* * *

 **Chapter III**

Haruhi opened the door to the Host Club. To her surprise, the entire place was decked out like some sort of tropical paradise. It even had real animals! She groaned, slumping over.

' _Can you see this… from heaven, Mom? This is the club I was forced to join.'_ Every one of the Hosts were dressed like some sort of tribal leader or whatever.

"You finally made it Haruhi." It was the twins speaking in sync again. "You're so late." She wasn't listening to them, instead looking at the small calendar she always kept with her.

"I could be wrong, but my calendar says it's still early spring." She wasn't wrong. If they looked outside the windows, they would see the first cherry blooms on the trees.

"Huddling under a kotatsu table fearing the cold is nonsense!" Tamaki was being as flamboyant as ever. He was obviously the king. His outfit was far more elaborate than any of the others'. "And besides, the heating system we have is…" he struck a pose. "The best!"

"Do you have a problem with the way we run our club, Haruhi?" She shivered at Kyoya's voice. Turning around, she saw him looking down at his notebook. "Be careful what you say. You owe us 8 million yen remember." He smiled, but it was far from comforting.

"Gentlemen don't bundle up in bulky clothing. It may be chilly early spring out there in the _real_ world, but here at the club we want to surprise our chilly little kittens with a warm tropical paradise." Tamaki draped an arm over Haruhi's shoulder. "Oh yes! We've turned this place into Nirvana! A balmy tropical island with everlasting summer!"

"That's funny cause I feel a massive chill right now."

"Well then, maybe this will warm you up." Removing himself from her shoulders, Tamaki leaned down to Haruhi's level. "We need your help." She blinked in surprise.

"My help? With what?"

影女王

' _Oh._ Now _this makes sense.'_ Haruhi was standing in front of an occupied changing room. The Host Club was standing behind her.

"Kea! You have to come out sometime!" called Hikaru.

"Not until you give me back my uniform!" came the extremely angry reply. Haruhi felt like an Arctic wind passed through her body, chilling her very heart. Tamaki peeked over her shoulder.

"You see? This is why we need your help Haruhi. She won't come out!"

"And you can't make me, boreíte kataraméno ploúsies nóthos! **1** " Everyone blinked in surprise. The twins started laughing.

"What was that? Latin?"

"Greek you idiots! Kai méchri na mou dó̱seis píso̱ omoiómorfi̱ mou den léo̱ mia álli̱ léxi̱ sta angliká! **2** " The ancient language rolled off her tongue effortlessly from behind the curtain. Kyoya himself looked surprised at how fluent she was in it. Latin was understandable, but Greek? He smiled to himself, writing something down in his book.

' _Knows Greek and speaks it fluently. Second language perhaps?'_ Snapping the book closed over his pencil, he looked at Haruhi. "Could you at least go in there and try to convince her to come out?"

"Ákousa óti Kyoya! **3** " He winced slightly. Haruhi nodded. Taking a deep breath, she opened the curtain, letting it fall behind her.

Upon entering, it was immediately apparent why Kea was adamantly against coming out. Someone, most likely the twins, had taken her uniform. How, Haruhi didn't want to know. What mattered… was that what Kea was currently wearing was far from modest.

Her breasts were covered with a bejeweled golden bra. It was covered with golden sequins and diamonds. Beaded chains connected to the center by a circular pendant, draping over her toned stomach. Satin straps circled around the outside of the cups, wrapping around her neck, an elaborate necklace attached over that. Two armbands were of the same design: golden, sequined, circular pendant and beaded chains.

Her skirt was was a perfect match. The waistband was sequined and had chains draping down, circling her. The skirt fabric was translucent, providing some modesty but also allure by letting the silhouette of her legs to show through. The ensemble was completed by a gold headdress with a centered diamond with three short chains with smaller diamonds in them settled into her hair which was left down.

A white scarf with golden trim sat abandoned on the table. Kea's feet were bare, her shoes no doubt having been taken by whoever stuck her in here. She was still wearing her glasses, but they actually matched perfectly. Having looked over the entire outfit, Haruhi knew that there was only one person Kea could have been made to match.

Kea was sitting down in a chair, her arms crossed under her chest. Her legs were crossed as well, her eyes closed. Haruhi sighed, walking over to lean against the table. Kea groaned, tilting her head back so she could look at Haruhi.

"I am going to murder those twins." Haruhi snickered at her malevolent whisper.

"Well… you're going to have to leave here in order to do that." Kea glowered, returning her gaze to her lap. Haruhi pursed her lips, trying to come up with something to say. They sat there for a few minutes.

"You know… if you're worried about it not looking good… don't be." Kea glanced at her friend. "You look beautiful."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Haruhi smiled. "Besides, you could always use the scarf to cover up if you get cold or something." Kea sighed, standing. Upon doing so, Haruhi's eyes widened as she saw the whole thing. The skirt reached to the floor, flowing with her movements. "Wow…"

"What?" Kea turned, a slightly concerned look on her face. "Does the skirt reveal too much?" Haruhi shook her head.

"No, it's just… you really are beautiful." Kea blushed, looking down.

"Thanks." Haruhi smiled, handing her the scarf. Kea wrapped it around her elbows, letting the back drape around her waist and the ends down her arms.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Haruhi opened the curtain, allowing Kea to step through. The second she did, all of the Hosts lost their jaws. Kea's eyes hardened. "Stamatí̱ste chaínousa. Tha eíste piásei mýges. **4** "

"You… you're gorgeous!" Tamaki flung himself at her. She sidestepped, making him fall headlong into the changing room. A pained grunt was heard inside.

"Chéria gia ton eaf̱tó sas. **5** " A hand attached itself to her scarf. She looked down to see a rather despondent Honey.

"Are you really that mad at us, Kea-chan?" Her gaze softened slightly. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nah, not you. Or Takashi." She flashed a slight smile at the tallest Host. "I'm just embarrassed. I'm not used to wearing stuff like this."

"Oh is that all." Hikaru crossed his arms. "If you had just said so we wouldn't have pushed so hard for you to come out." His brother smiled softly.

"Don't worry. We won't ever make you wear something like that again. Though you do look really good in it." Kea stood, staring them down. Her expression was blank.

"You better not. Or I'll do worse than speak in Greek."

"What were you saying anyways?" Kea smirked, pushing up her glasses. They caught the light, hiding her eyes from Kyoya.

"Oh… nothing I wouldn't say in English."

"So why didn't you?"

"Didn't feel like it. Now." Kea picked up her notebook, holding it to her chest. "I believe we have a Club to open." Tamaki walked out of the changing room, trying to be dignified.

"Right! Let's go!" They walked out of the back, returning to the decorated room. Kyoya was the last to follow… on account of having to regain his normal composure. Nevertheless, his face was still slightly warm as he joined his comrades.

影女王

Haruhi groaned as some girls freaked out over Hikaru and Kaoru.

"The guests seem to be even more worked up than they usually are."

"Showing some skin proves popular with the ladies." Haruhi hid her surprise at Kyoya sneaking up on her, again, with a question.

"So are you the one that came up with this tropical paradise idea?"

"I have no decision making authority. All the Club's policies have been laid out by the Club's king, Tamaki." Kea walked by, escorting a guest out. The girl was too lost in her fantasies to notice that Kea had stopped.

"However, it seems I had misplaced a photo book containing pictures of a trip I had taken to Bali a couple years back. Somehow, it found its way to Tamaki's desk." The background behind Kea and Kyoya darkened drastically. Haruhi was sure she heard wicked chuckling somewhere in the background… as well as a banner displaying the words 'Real brains behind the operation' appear below their heads.

Kea smiled sweetly as she continued walking towards the exit. As she did so, Kyoya brushed her hand with his. Unseen by Haruhi of course. She had already left to entertain her own customers.

"Um, Haruhi?" The female Host was snapped from her thoughts. "Aren't you going to wear a tropical outfit like the other boys?"

"I'd like to see that!"

"Oh, well n-no I-I just don't think it's appropriate to wear anything but early spring attire in early spring, you know?"

"But we have one ready for you, Haruhi." Haruhi resisted the urge to groan at Tamaki. "I think you'll like it! You and I are a pair!"

"No thanks." Tamaki's entire being and clothing turned white in shock at the blunt rebuff.

"Wow Haruhi! You're really faithful to the different seasons, aren't you?"

"I think that's great! I hope we're lucky enough that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom on the night of the party."

"The two of us dancing in the cherry blossoms. It's so dreamy!"

"You really think so?" Haruhi smiled softly. "You know ladies. I think it's so cute when you dream like that." All of them blushed. The girl on her right tapped her chin.

"You know… now that I think about it." Haruhi tilted her head in questioning.

"What is it?"

"Doesn't it seem like all of the Hosts are in pairs?" The other two girls looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Mori-senpai's and Honey-senpai's outfits match, and Hikaru and Kaoru do to." The girl in the middle bopped her fist on her palm.

"You're right! And, if I remember correctly, Miss Kea is wearing a tropical outfit too!"

"Someone called?" The girls started, turning in their chairs to see Kea was standing behind them. She clasped her book with both hands, letting it hang at her waist. Her scarf bunched at her elbows, falling elegantly around her. She smiled softly, her lips reflecting the light slightly.

"Oh! Kea-senpai!" The American honor student smiled at the girl on Haruhi's left.

"What is it, darling?"

"We were just wondering who you match." Kea's expression effortlessly changed to wondering.

"What do you mean?" The girl in the middle blushed.

"Well… everyone else is matching someone. We were wondering who your… um…" Kea smiled softly.

"Who my mate is?" She blushed deeper, nodding. Kea laughed softly behind her hand, letting it drop to delicately rest on her shoulder. "Well… that's for you to figure out, darling." Kea straightened, bowing slightly.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some things to attend to." As she walked away, Kyoya appeared. Haruhi's guests looked between him and the swaying hips of Kea. They all looked at each other, smiling.

"I think we figured it out." They chorused. Before Haruhi could confirm it, soft footfalls sounded behind her.

"Excuse me." Haruhi looked over her shoulder at the voice. "I hate to disturb, but I think it's time for the Hosts to switch clients."

"Oh I'm sorry. You must be my next appointment, Miss… uh."

"My name's Kanako. Kanako Kasugazaki." Kanako placed a hand under Haruhi's chin, lifting her head up. "You're even cuter than I expected." She smiled slightly. "I've decided. You're going to be my new favorite Host, Haruhi."

In the background, a paper white Tamaki gaped in horror.

影女王

Kea's fingers dug into her sleeves in irritation. Once the Host Club had closed for the day, she had wasted no time in getting out her old uniform (the pant suit, not the dress), and changing. Kyoya wasn't too happy about it, but she had told him quite plainly to shove it and leave her alone. Of course, she had said that in Greek, just to annoy him further. However, it wasn't him that she was irritated with.

It was the dreadful noise of Tamaki slurping up ramen. He had been doing that since they closed… and he just. Wouldn't. Stop. Before she could pop, Hikaru spoke up.

"Hey boss! Why don't you stop eating that commoner's ramen and come help us with the party planning?"

"Does it really bother you that Princess Kasuga has taken a liking to Haruhi?"

"He shouldn't be surprised. She's had the illness for a while now, hasn't she?" Kyoya spoke up from where he was typing away at his computer. Kea leaned her forearms on the back of his chair, looking over his head.

"What illness?" Hikaru slid up behind her.

"She's got the Host-hopping disease." Kaoru slid out behind him.

"AKA the never-the-same-boy-twice disease."

"Usually our customers choose a favorite Host and then see them regularly. However, Princess Kanako tends to change her favorites. On a regular basis." Mitsukuni slid in between Kyoya and Haruhi, who was sitting on the bespectacled Host's right side.

"That's right! Cause before she chose you she was with Tama-chan." Haruhi hummed.

"Oh. So he's upset because I took her from him?" Tamaki slammed his hands onto the table.

" _Shut up!_ I couldn't care less!" Kea leaned down, whispering in Kyoya's ear.

"Well I'm convinced." He snickered slightly, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing further. He also did that to distract himself from how nonchalant she was about being so close to him.

 _'It must be the clothes. Now that she's modest, she's much more comfortable around me. Us! I mean us.'_ Kyoya shut his eyes forcefully for a few seconds before opening them to focus on the screen in front of him.

"I'm running out of patience!" Both looked over at Tamaki. "Haruhi! It's time you started dressing like a girl!"

"Huh?" Tamaki shook his head back and forth, his hands clutching his hair.

"I don't understand how you could be so popular with the ladies when you yourself are a lady!"

"That's not exactly fair, Tamaki-senpai. Kea is fairly popular as well, and she's a girl too." Haruhi sighed, resting a hand on her palm. "I don't see the problem."

"I'll tell you the problem! No one in the entire school knows the truth except for those of us here!" The twins lined up behind the 'king'.

"Yeah she opted out of taking gym classes."

"And the attendance numbers are all mixed together so no one can tell." Kea blinked as Tamaki ran off.

"Wait a minute! You mean I could have been skipping out of those classes all along!?" She huffed, turning her head away. "And to think! I could have been studying all that time."

"Well it's not like anyone will miss you if you don't show up." She shrugged in consent.

"True. You've got a point Kyoya." Just then, Tamaki returned with a chest labeled 'King's private property'. He threw open the top, stuffing the top half of his body into it.

"That's enough Haruhi. Now you listen to Daddy…" He pulled out a massive portrait, running towards the female Host. "Daddy wants you to go back to the way you were!"

"Don't go blowing up my photos without asking me first!" Somehow, the photo was hung on the wall and everyone was gathered around it, save Haruhi and Kea.

"The more I look at this picture the more amazed I am. How could _this_ possibly become _that_?" Kea twitched an eyebrow at Hikaru.

"The day before school started one of the kids in my neighborhood got some gum stuck in my hair." Haruhi placed a hand on her head. "It's a real pain to get gum out of long hair, so I decided to cut it all off. I didn't care if I looked like a dude, you know?" Tamaki teared up, again.

"Girls should never refer to herself as a _dude_! Mama!" Kea lifted an eyebrow as far as it would go while frowning. "Haruhi's using those dirty boy words again!"

"I'm sorry but who's Mama?" Kaoru asked.

"Based on club position I assume it's me." Kyoya answered. Kea choked, trying to keep from bursting out laughing.

"Look I don't see what you're crying about. Working as a Host, I can pay back more of my debt. It'll never happen if I'm just an errand boy."

"Hate to change the subject but do you have formal dancing experience? You'll need it at the party." Haruhi's shocked expression gave Hikaru the answer he was looking for.

"No, but the party doesn't have anything to do with my quota, right? I'm not interested in going to events so if I could be excused." Tamaki's eyes went from full of tears to glinting.

"Definitely not. A refined gentlemen must know how to dance. If you want to live the life of a Host that badly, you're going to have to show us how far you're willing to go Haruhi. I order you to master dancing the waltz in one week, and you will demonstrate it for us at the party. Or I'll tell the entire school that you're a girl! And knock you back down to errand boy!"

' _Who would have thought that having your gender exposed would be so horrifying?'_ Kea sighed, before frowning as she sensed a presence behind her. "Yes Kyoya?" He leaned down, his breath ghosting over the shell of her ear as he spoke.

"Do _you_ , have any experience in formal dancing?" Kea shrugged, crossing her arms. She didn't look at him as she responded.

"I took Cotillion as a child." Kyoya frowned, clasping his hands behind his back.

"How long ago was that?"

"Are you implying I'm still a child?" He chuckled, grabbing one of her arms. He whirled her around, pulling her into the starting position of the waltz. Her eyes were wide as he pulled her to his chest.

"Well, you are considered a child until you turn thirteen." He smirked. "You could have taken Cotillion any time before that." Kea shrugged.

"True. I took it for two years, during my fourth and fifth grade years." Kyoya did the math in his head.

"So that would be four years ago."

"Yep."

"How much of it do you remember?"

"Off the top of my head? Not a thing." Kyoya smirked, tightening his grip on her waist.

"Well then, looks like I'll have to teach you a few things, won't I?" Kea smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"More like give me a refresher course."

"I can do that too."

"Then let's begin."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Hikaru and Kaoru watched as Kanako and Haruhi danced. Kanako was teaching Haruhi how to do the waltz. In the background, Takashi was swinging Mitsukuni around and around, the smaller 3rd year squealing in joy like a child. The Hitachiin twins stood off to the side, not particularly interested in doing anything at the moment. Tamaki was also off to the side, but he was decidedly more disheartened than they were. He seemed to be breeding shadows even.

"Why so gloomy boss?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked at the same time. Hikaru looked at his brother.

"I bet it's because _he_ wanted to be the one Haruhi practices with."

"I think you may be right, but he's way too tall to stand in as a woman." Kaoru looked over his shoulder. "And besides, Kea is otherwise occupied." Hikaru looked over his shoulder as well.

Kea was being taught how to waltz by Kyoya. The Host had one hand up, his fingers interlaced with Kea's, while his other hand… well, his _arm_ would be more accurate… was wrapped around her waist. Kea's free hand was cupped around Kyoya's neck, effectively keeping her next to him. They were off in their own corner, closer to the music, but further from everyone else.

The twins watched as the two danced in perfect tandem. For not having official dancing experience in almost half a decade, Kea was doing very well. She wasn't looking at her feet at all. Instead, her eyes were trained on Kyoya's face, before closing when she started laughing at something. As they turned, Hikaru and Kaoru saw Kyoya smiling as well… a genuinely happy smile. Hikaru smiled impishly.

"You know…"

"We could have some fun with that." Kaoru finished his thought for him. They looked at each other, matching smirks on their faces. "This will be fun."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

"Hey Kea!" The Host Club's Assistant Manager looked up from the laptop to see Hikaru and Kaoru leaning on the table in front of her.

"Yes?"

"What kind of clothes do you like?" She blinked several times. Closing the program, she shut the laptop. Figuring it was alright to sit down, both pulled up a chair, leaning their chins on their hands.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, our family is designing all the outfits for the dance." Kaoru started.

"And, since you weren't too happy with your last outfit…" Kea's eyebrow twitched at the reminder. Hikaru continued. "We thought that we would ask you personally what kind of clothes you like."

"Wait…" Kea leaned forward, trying to see if they were messing with her. "You want to know what I like to wear… so you can make something for me for the party?" Hikaru shrugged.

"Well not us personally. Our mother would oversee it, since that's her forte and all." They tilted their heads.

"Well?" they asked simultaneously. "What do you like?" Realizing they were being one hundred percent serious, Kea sat back, thinking.

"Well it has to be modest, of course. I hate showing a lot of skin."

"We noticed. You never took off that scarf." Kaoru pulled out a notepad. "No… extra… skin. Alright what else?"

"I also don't like high necklines." Hikaru tilted his head in confusion.

"Like what?"

"Well, for example, the girls' uniform. I won't wear one because one, the color doesn't look good on me, and two, the collar." Hikaru pulled out his own notepad.

"So you don't like low necklines, but you also don't like fabric or anything like that right up against your neck. Is that right?"

"Yes that's correct." Kaoru wrote it down.

"So what would you prefer? Off-the-shoulder or spaghetti straps?"

"Off-the-shoulder annoys the crap out of me. I prefer spaghetti straps, just so long as they're visible. Nothing barely there or anything like that.

"Alright… let's talk colors." Hikaru hunched over his pad, ready to write while Kaoru spoke. "I'll name a color, and you tell us what shades of it you like, okay?" Kea nodded. "Green."

"Um… army is fine. So is traditional forest green, dark cyan, and dark green. Jade and similar colors are fine as offsets." Hikaru wrote fervently, nodding when he was done.

"Okay… now black."

"Black." Kaoru blinked.

"No shades."

"Nope. Unless you count grey, and that's fine."

"Well that's easy. Now… what about brown?"

"Oh, Let's see… auburn, Bulgarian rose, um… and dark brown."

"Right. Pink?"

"Definitely subtle shades with pink. Something like blush…"

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kea gasped as the twins brought out the dress.

"Tada!" They held it up. "Well? Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful!" She smiled at them. "Thank you, both of you." They blushed.

"You really like it?"

"I love it. I can't believe you went to all that trouble."

"Oh it was no problem at all." Hikaru grabbed her hand, shoving her into the dressing room. Kaoru thrust the dress into her arms. "Two of our maids are going to help you with your hair, so all you have to do is get changed. And hurry up! Everyone else is waiting!"

"Right! Oh, wait you guys." Kea stepped out of the curtain. Pulling both of them down, she kissed a cheek each. Both blushed to their toes. "Thanks you guys. This was really sweet."

"Yeah, whatever. Now hurry up!" As they walked away, Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a smile. "Operation Match Kea and Kyoya: Success!"

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

"Where's Kea-chan!?" Mitsukuni was worried. He gripped Usa-chan. "Is she really not coming to the party?"

"Oh, she's coming." Hikaru and Kaoru looked up. "Here she comes right now!" Everyone in the Host Club looked up as well as the doors to the hall were opened. Kea's dress swished elegantly as she walked towards them. The twins had done a magnificent job.

The dress was a dark imperial blue and black, the same as Kyoya's attire, and reached to the floor. The first two layers of the dress were soft black cotton, so as to provide comfort and breathability, as well as free movement. The outermost layer was dark imperial blue satin that started at the top of her chest, stretching to halfway down her calves, reflecting the lights wonderfully. It was bunched up along her figure by the seams, accenting her curves. The dress was normally strapless; however, two straps with ruffled black fabric rested on the very edges of her shoulders had been added. A satin rose of dark red coloring rested on the very top of the dress in between her breasts. A thin line of the same dark red satin connected the ruffled bottom of the dress to the main skirt, adding a slight accent… and matching Kyoya's tie.

The maids had curled her chocolate brown hair. Once that was done, they had swept up the top half of her hair, bunching it together with several pins in a messy bun. Deciding that wasn't enough, they had placed a single, blue rose in the center, drawing attention to the curls. With the rose, the partial updo of the curls, and the rest of her hair curling and bouncing softly with every step, Hikaru and Kaoru had to admit: they were impressed. Her eyes sparkled behind her glasses, which, from the look of them, were probably cleaned while her hair was being tended to.

Together, they glanced at Kyoya. In contrast to his normally icy expression, his mouth was fully agape. Behind his glasses, his eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a triumphant smile. Everyone else was just as entranced. Tamaki immediately began his whole spiel, poses and all.

"You are absolutely gorgeous, darling Kea!" Bowing at the waist, he extended a hand to her. She blushed prettily, placing her hand in his. He led her back up the steps, smiling. Hikaru picked up on a telltale twitch of the fingers from Kyoya, telling him he was annoyed.

"Kea-chan you're so pretty!" Mitsukuni hopped from one foot to another. Takashi nodded, smiling softly at her. "So so pretty!" Kea blushed deeper, smiling.

"Thanks, Mitsukuni." She looked up, noticing the twins. "Does it look okay? The dress I mean." Kaoru smiled gently.

"It fits you perfectly." Hikaru nodded.

"You're stunning."

"They're right." Kyoya added his own two cents. For once, he was actually looking at her while talking to her. "You look beautiful, Kea." Everyone noticed the lack of honorific, but they didn't mention it. Tamaki nodded, taking his hand from Kea's.

"Right then! Let's get this night started!"

影女王

Kea stood off to the side, watching as the Host Club danced with their partners. Her heart throbbed slightly at the sight of Kyoya dancing with another girl, but she brushed it aside. She wasn't here to dance. She was here to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

"Excuse me."

"Hm?" Kea turned to her left to see a young man standing there. He stood approximately two inches taller than her, which placed him around 5'10". He had dark red hair and almost black eyes with pale skin. The similarity to an ex-Host Club client didn't escape her notice. He was most likely a second or third year student, since he wasn't in her class. She was momentarily confused as to why a male outside the Host Club was here, before remembering that it was an open event.

"Yes? May I help you?"

"You are Kea, the Assistant Manager for the Host Club, correct?" Kea was immediately on guard. As far as the other male students were concerned, she was a regular client of Kyoya's, not on staff, let alone Assistant Manager.

' _Ayanokouji's definitely behind this.'_ She covered up her suspicion with a smile. "I am. Since you know my name, might I inquire of yours?"

"I am Azamuki Seika."

 _'SEIKA!? That can't be a coincidence.'_ "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Manager." Azamuki held out a hand. "May I have this dance?" Kea smiled, placing her hand in his.

"You may. I warn you: I'm not the best dancer."

"Don't worry," he said as he led her out onto the dance floor. "I'll make it look like you're the best dancer in the house." Kea smiled, letting him whirl her around.

' _He_ is _a fairly good dancer. Not as good as Kyoya of course; then again, I might be a little biased.'_ Kea squashed the urge to blush at the thought. _'Focus Kea. Find out what he's doing here and who sent him. Though that last part is rather obvious.'_

"Miss Kea?"

"Yes?"

"If I might ask… how are you enjoying the Host Club?" Kea smiled, the picture of perfect contentment.

"I quite enjoy it."

"Is that so? That's surprising." She tilted her head.

"How is that?" Azamuki shook his head.

"Never mind."

"Come now, Azamuki-senpai. You can tell me." He smirked at her. Dropping her hand, he wrapped both arms around her waist. Kea placed both hands on his shoulders, letting them hang off at the wrist.

"I understand you were forced to become the Assistant Manager."

"Forced to? Why, Azamuki-senpai! You make it sound like something illegal is going on!" Her voice came out incredulous, just like a normal American highschooler.

"I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you only joined in order to protect Haruhi Fujioka."

' _I knew it. He_ is _working for Ayanokouji! Too bad she sent an amateur after me.'_ "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't understand what it is you are saying." Still waltzing, Azamuki led her to a secluded corner of the dancefloor.

"You joined to protect Fujioka." Azamuki's black eyes hardened. His grip on her waist tightened. "And you're blackmailing my little sister into keeping her silent." Kea's eyes widened in shock.

"I-."

"Don't bother denying it!" he spat. "You're the one that took those pictures of Ayanokouji throwing Fujioka's bag into the pond. You're the one who placed that envelope on her balcony." He smirked darkly.

"I have to admit… slipping past our security like that is impressive." Azamuki leaned so close Kea could smell his breath. "It makes me think that there's more to you than meets the eye." He was millimeters from her at this point. "Maybe I should see if you're hiding anymore pictures on you."

"Release me this instant." Her cold voice froze him. She separated herself from his hands. "I don't know who you think you are, threatening me like that, but you made a huge mistake."

"What!?"

"I have no idea what you think is going on, but no one in the Host Club is blackmailing anyone, least of all me. I have no enemies here." Azamuki scoffed.

"So you think."

"If people have a problem with me, they can speak to me directly instead of through muscle-bound punks and veiled threats." Kea's cerulean eyes flashed in anger. That changed to satisfaction. "However… I would like to thank you."

"For what?"

"You just told me something I had been wondering about for a little while now." Kea pushed up her glasses. "And that… is the identity of the person who threw Haruhi's bag into the pond." Azamuki's eyes widened. "I bid you goodnight, Azamuki." With that, Kea turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd, leaving a very stunned Azamuki in the dust... and in the dark.

Kea slipped unseen in between girls and pillars. The dark colors of her dress provided her the perfect camouflage. She silently slipped up the stairs, entering the changing room in time to see Haruhi step out of from behind the curtain. Kyoya turned to her, an uncharacteristically concerned look on his face.

"There you are!" He rushed over. "You're late! Where were you!?" Leaning closer, his eyes narrowed as they met hers. Gently, he took her hands in his. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. We have other things to do right now." She squeezed his hands softly. "Promise."

"I'm holding you to that. The second we're free, you're telling me what happened."

"Done." Separating herself from him, Kea walked over to where Haruhi was siting. Kea smiled, taking a subtle deep breath to steel her nerves. "Alright, Haruhi. Let's get your game face on." Picking up a compact of blush, she swirled the brush over the cosmetic before applying it to her friend's face. She had just finished applying all of Haruhi's makeup when Tamaki entered.

"Gentlemen! Here you all are! What are you doing!? The guests are waiting for-" He froze midsentence as Haruhi stood up.

Having changed from her tuxedo into a light pink sundress with two bows, one on the left side of the bust and the other on right side of the hem, Haruhi looked quite different. Add the wig she had on and her makeup, and she looked like a completely new person. Kea noticed Hikaru had a slight pink tinge to his cheeks as he stared at her. Kea smirked, exchanging a glance with Kaoru.

' _Well that's interesting.'_ "So… what do you think?"

"Wow! You look so cute!" Haruhi clumsily started walking out the door, on account of the pumps she was wearing.

"My face feels heavy and it's hard to walk in these shoes." Kea giggled softly, pressing her fingertips to her lips as she closed one eye.

"Good luck Haruhi!" she called along with the twins.

"I can't believe… she's so pretty." Kea rolled her eyes.

"Way to ruin the moment Tamaki." Hikaru scoffed slightly.

"No kidding." Kea smiled softly.

"Come on guys. We've got our own work to do." She, the twins, Kyoya, Takashi, and Mitsukuni returned to the ballroom. Tamaki went after Kanako.

As she stood off to the side, Kea scanned the room. Azamuki was nowhere in sight. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. Sighing, she didn't know whether to feel relieved or extremely worried.

Kyoya noticed. Since she had been his assistant for a few weeks now, he had had the time to observe her in close quarters, thus allowing him to pick up on subtle signals from her. Most of the others couldn't pick them up, not even Honey-senpai or Mori-senpai. In a moment of observation, he realized that Kea must have either A, practiced a lot in order to get that expression of indifference, B, it came naturally to her, or C, both.

In any case, he could tell she was on edge about something. The way her eyes swept over the entire ballroom told him she was looking for someone in particular. When they narrowed, he knew she hadn't found them. The brief flash of confusion told him she didn't know how to feel about the matter… and that is what worried him. Whatever had happened to her, it set her on edge like he had never seen.

' _I swear I'm going to talk to her. But after we help Kanako.'_ Resolving to not let her sleep until she told him what happened, Kyoya softly called out to her. "Kea." It took her a moment before she looked at him. _'She really is tormented by something. What could have happened to you, Kea?'_

"Right." Kea stepped out onto the stairs. Lifting a hand, she gave the orchestra the signal to stop playing. Everyone turned around, slightly confused.

"If I might have your attention." She waited till everything was silent. "Thank you darlings. Now, it's time to announce this night's lucky couple!" The girls started cheering.

"If you'll follow me out to the patio, I believe they're already waiting for us." With that, Kea made her way to the patio outside the ballroom. Kyoya fell into step beside her. After a moment, he spoke.

"You did well, Kea."

"Thanks. I try." She jumped slightly when his hand grabbed hers. Mitsukuni and Takashi took over leading the others outside. "Kyoya?"

"When this is done, meet me in the gardens outside the Host Club windows." Not giving her a chance to say no, he left. Kea clutched the hand he had held to her chest.

"What was that about?" Shaking her head, she hurried to join up with the others. Tamaki had joined them as well. Kea stood next to Kyoya, watching as the spotlights turned on to illuminate Kanako and Tohru.

"Ladies and gentlemen. It is now time for us to begin the final dance of this evening's festivities." Tamaki held out a hand. "The last waltz of the night has been chosen by the Host Club for… this couple." Turning, Tohru bowed to Kanako.

"Princess Kasuga. May I have this dance?" Kanako gasped, a light blush dancing across her cheeks. Smiling, she placed her hand in his.

"Yes." Kea nodded to the orchestra, who immediately started playing. A smile appeared on her lips as the two started to dance together. Kyoya looked to his left when she sighed.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm more than alright." Her eyes were soft as she watched the two lovers. "I'm thrilled for them. They've finally truly gotten together." She clasped her hands in front of her. "It's wonderful to see that." Kyoya felt his own expression soften, though it wasn't from watching Kanako and Tohru.

"Yes…" he replied slowly. "It really is." The moment was ruined by Tamaki.

"May this awkward couple be forever blessed." Kea groaned softly, crossing an arm under her chest while she rested her forehead against her fingertips.

"You just don't know when to stop, do you Suou?" Kyoya chuckled under his breath.

"Unfortunately… no."

"And now we'll announce the queen of the ball!" Both looked up as Hikaru slid behind Tamaki. Kaoru slid to his brother's right. Kea lifted an eyebrow at the sight of both twins holding a banana peel.

"Congratulations Princess Kanako Kasugazaki!" Everyone applauded. During the uproar, the peels in the twins' hands vanished. Kea glanced at Kyoya, only to see him writing in his book.

"Kyoya?"

"What is it, Kea?" Kea frowned.

' _Playing innocent, are we? Fine then.'_ "Nothing."

"And for her reward: a kiss on the cheek from the king!" Tamaki struck another pose.

"You ready?"

"Haruhi Fujioka will stand in for Tamaki!" Kea gaped at Kaoru.

"Say what!?" The twins shrugged.

"Kyoya did say that a little accident towards the end of the night might make the evening more thrilling for everyone." They replied in unison. Kea frowned, glowering at Kyoya.

"Don't give me that look."

"Tha sas dó̱so̱ ó, ti matiá thélo̱ na sas dó̱so̱. **6** " She smirked when Kyoya deflated half an inch. "Poio eínai to théma, Kyoya? Den Boreí na katanoeí Élli̱nes? **7** "

"Now you're just doing that to annoy me."

"Nai. **8** "

"There's no way I can kiss her."

"If you do it we'll cut your debt by one-third." Kyoya's voice had a slight sing-song edge to it. Haruhi froze.

"Well it _is_ just a peck on the cheek." She began to descend the stairs. An exclamation point popped up over Mitsukuni's head. He appeared in front of Tamaki, who was being held up by the twins.

"Hey! You don't think this is Haru-chan's first kiss do you?" Tamaki's expression went from despondent to horrified.

"What!?"

"Oh great." Kea looked down, covering her eyes with her hand. "I can't watch!" she groaned. Kyoya's shoulders shook from his attempts to keep from laughing. They disappeared with a ripple of pain when she stomped on his foot. "You shut up."

"Ow."

"Not apologizing."

"Wait Haruhi!" As Tamaki leapt forward… he slipped on the banana peels the twins had dropped. He fell forward, his hand connecting with Haruhi's back… which jolted her hands… that were holding Kanako's face… which meant that Kanako was turned at the last moment before Haruhi kissed her cheek…

Which ended up in their lips meeting.

All the girls screamed, Tohru and Tamaki blanched, Tamaki fell to the ground, the Host Club was all smiles, Kanako and Haruhi were blushing up storms, and Kea…

Well, let's just say Kyoya and the twins were eternally grateful none of them wore enchanted rosaries.

' _Damn this stupid Host Club!'_ Composing herself, Kea glanced over at Kyoya's books. Sure enough, he had written down, 'Deduct Haruhi's debt by 1/3.' _'Well at least he kept his promise.'_ She sighed, looking back at Haruhi. She had stopped blushing, trading it for a smile. "Well… at least some of us had fun tonight."

"What do you mean by that, Kea-chan?" Kea blanched slightly, looking down to see Mitsukuni. He was looking very worried. "Did you not have fun tonight?"

"Oh I'm sorry Mitsukuni. I was just thinking out loud, and ended up jumbling thoughts." She giggled softly. "That's what happens when you think out loud." He nodded, closing his eyes when smiling.

"I get it." He suddenly turned very serious. "Don't think out loud anymore, okay?" He added a wagging finger for effect. "you might give people the wrong idea." Kea laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Understood, Mitsukuni-senpai."

"Good! Now let's dance!" He pulled her out onto the dancefloor. After looking at each other, the Host Club shrugged, taking the hand of the closest girl. Everyone else followed suit.

During the dance, Mitsukuni traded partners, sending Kea twirling into Kyoya's waiting arms. The Hosts exchanged a wink. Offering Kea his arm, Kyoya led her to the gardens. They settled onto the cobblestone steps facing the pond. They sat there for a while, not saying anything. Kyoya was the one that broke the silence.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You promised to tell me what made you so late and worried." Kea sighed, continuing to gaze at the moonlit pond.

"It's nothing, now that I think about it."

"It's not nothing." Kyoya leaned forward trying to catch her gaze. "Kea, I know you."

"Do you?" He sighed.

"Okay. I won't lie and say I know you as well as I would like to, but I do know some things about you." Kea glanced at him. "I know you well enough now to know that whatever happened to you really had you frazzled."

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Because it won't do me any good if my assistant is distracted." To his surprise, it hurt him to say that. He frowned at himself. Thankfully, Kea didn't notice.

"Of course. You're only doing this because it'll inconvenience you otherwise." To her surprise, it was painful to think about that. She frowned at herself. Kyoya didn't notice.

"In any case… what. Happened?" Kea sighed.

"Well, for starters, Ayanokouji admitted she was the one that threw Haruhi's bag into the pool." Kyoya blinked in surprise.

"Was she here tonight?"

"No. Her brother was." Kyoya's eyes widened. Grabbing Kea's shoulders, he made her face him.

"Ayanokouji's older brother?"

"Yeah."

"Azamuki Akihiro, 3rd year student."

"So he is a third year? That makes sense."

"Red hair, black eyes, pale skin, almost six feet tall?"

"That's him." She winced when Kyoya's fingers painfully dug into her skin. "Kyoya. You're hurting me." His grip loosened, but only enough so he wasn't making indents in her skin.

"What were you doing with him?"

"He asked me to dance." Kea tilted her head, extremely concerned. "What is it?"

"Azamuki isn't a good guy."

"Tell me about it." Kyoya's fingers tightened again.

"What did he do?"

"He, um…"

"Kea!" Kea recoiled slightly at Kyoya's shout. "Tell me exactly what happened. Right. Now."

"He threatened me."

"How!?"

"Well, first of all, he knew I was the Assistant Manager. Only guests know that, and none of them talk about it, since it doesn't benefit them in any way. The only way he could have known was if someone told him." Kyoya nodded.

"That's true. What happened after that?"

"He got really mad when I played dumb."

"How mad?"

"Um… he uh… talked about taking my dress off in order to see if I had anymore pictures of Ayanokouji throwing Haruhi's bag into the pond."

So many emotions flowed through Kyoya with that one sentence. Anger, fear, horror… protectiveness. That was the most surprising. Yes, he was protective of what benefited him, but this… this was bordering on _possessive_ ness. It was strange, but he decided to think about it later.

"I see." Kyoya took both of her hands, helping her up. "It seems you are being targeted." Kea looked away.

"I don't want you doing anything rash, Kyoya. You have a reputation to lose."

"It's not rash to protect something." He almost added 'what benefits me', but he stopped. "Don't worry. I'll handle this under the radar." Stepping back, he pushed up his glasses. "Of course, since he is a third year, I'll have Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai keep an eye on Azamuki."

"But-" Kyoya pressed a finger to her lips, stopping her protest.

"I'm not giving you an option, Kea." He smiled gently at her. "Now, let's get back before the others think I've kidnapped you." Offering her arm again, he slowly began walking away. Kea placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, keeping her on his side.

"Somehow, I don't think you would mind that." Kyoya didn't respond, instead smiling slightly. Kea smiled as well. Suddenly feeling very tired, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

A door opened, casting artificial light into the otherwise darkened room. A figure stepped in, shutting the door behind them. Walking forward three steps, they waited for the person in front of them to face them. They didn't, instead continuing to look out the window.

"Well?"

"It wasn't her." The figure in front of the window narrowed their eyes. "She was completely ignorant of it. Evidently she hadn't even been told that it was you that threw the commoner's bag into the pond."

"So they were keeping her in the dark." The female turned to face the other figure. "You did well, my brother. We have now narrowed our suspects to three. Two of which are in your class." Azamuki bowed.

"Don't worry sis. We'll find out who's blackmailing you. And when I do… I'll make them wish they were never born." Ayanokouji smiled darkly.

"I know. By the way… I think I know someone who scares the crap out of Tamaki. I'll hook you two up."

* * *

 _ **Translations**_

 **1)** You damn rich bastard!  
 **2)** And until you give me back my uniform I'm not saying another word in English!  
 **3)** I heard that Kyoya!  
 **4)** Stop gaping. You'll catch flies.  
 **5)** Hands to yourself.  
 **6)** I'll give you whatever look I want to give you.  
 **7)** What's the matter, Kyoya? Can't understand Greek?  
 **8)** Yep.

I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Wow. Sorry about that, I kind of got carried away. Anyways, don't forget to review! Let's try to get to 15 reviews before the next chapter, okay? Love you guys! And tell me what you think of Kea. Pretty please?

Before I bid you farewell to the next chapter, I have a favor to ask of you all. It would mean the world to me, and to her, if you guys would read and REVIEW _SublimeEchos_ stories. Her stories _Recollection_ and _Forbidden Love_ are absolutely amazing. _Recollection_ 's predecessor, _Runaway _ (Read it!), was my inspiration for _Stripes of the Past_. If any of you like that story, please read the one that gave me the inspiration to write. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 4

Hi everyone! So I know I asked for 15 reviews before the next chapter, but I'm updating anyways, even though I got 3, which is still cool by the way. The reason I'm updating still 2 reviews short is because this story gained 3 more favorites and 6 more followers.

I put this on _Stripes of the Past_ , but I don't remember how many of you are reading that one, so I'll put it here too:  
Reviews are what keep a story going. Yeah, it's great to get a favorite and/or follow, but nothing gets the fire to write blazing more than a review. It tells me as an author that I'm not just wasting time and energy on something that no one is really enjoying. It tells me that there are people out there that actually like what I write, and that alone is what gives me the drive to write. If I don't get that confirmation... I don't have the energy or the heart to sit down and write a chapter.

I would still like to hit that 15 review mark. This story has been viewed over 600 times. Surely one of you can spare the time to let me know how I'm doing. I don't want to sound like I'm begging, but _please_ review! It really does mean the world to me.

Because they have been my most faithful reviewers, I'm dedicating this chapter to _lostfeather1_ and _gothicpoet0615_. Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments.  
To _gothicpoet0615_ : Thank you so much for all of your constructive criticism. It means a lot, and helps me make each chapter better.  
To _lostfeather1_ : You are an absolute riot in every review you leave. I can't stop laughing and smiling when I read your reaction to each chapter. Though you're going to have to wait a little longer for what happens to Ayanokouji.

Thank you both, and here you go! This chapter is for you two!

* * *

 **Chapter IV**

Kea put on a smile as the doors to the garden opened.

"Welcome ladies," she said in sync with the Host Club. Today, Tamaki had decided to hold the Host Club outside. It was a beautiful spring day, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. After a completely unintentionally heard comment from Kea to Kyoya about how lovely the day was as she walked into the Host Club, and a muttered complaint at what a waste it would be to stay indoors, Tamaki was sold on the idea of having a 'flower viewing reception'. Of course, that called for certain outfits.

He, Kyoya, and the twins were wearing modern style butler uniforms, complete with waistcoats, pocket watches, and aprons. On the other hand, Haruhi, Takashi, Mitsukuni, and Kea were dressed in traditional servant clothing: a shihakushō. Takashi wore a dark blue-and-black shihakushō. Mitsukuni matched with a lighter shihakushō with a lavender undershirt. Haruhi was dressed in a burgundy and orange ensemble.

As an experiment, Kea had her own outfit today. She wore a white shirt with red pants, in the style of ancient Shrine priestesses. While not entirely sure why she was being made to wear a different outfit, she didn't mind. It separated her from the Hosts, telling everyone that, while she may be a member of the club, she was not a Host.

She looked up from her book, ensuring everything went smoothly. The previous night, she had put the finishing touches on the picture books she and Kyoya had compiled. Well, it was her that set up the cameras around the Host Club. Once she had, she had wirelessly connected them to her computer so she would be able to snap pictures of anywhere in the room from her chair. Since she was always on the laptop while not greeting guests, no one thought anything of it, providing her the perfect cover.

Thankfully, the Club went off without a hitch. Azamuki didn't show, which was a huge relief to Kea. Not to say that she didn't have faith that Kyoya could pull through on his end. Out of everyone in the Host Club, the only one she trusted more than him was Takashi. Of course, there was always Haruhi, but Kea didn't like thinking of her as a Host.

Speaking of her, she was sitting with Mitsukuni and Takashi while they entertained guests. Kyoya was walking around, selling the picture albums to clients. She snickered as two girls, currently being entertained by Hikaru and Kaoru, jumped up from their chairs, each wanting a complete set of picture albums. Shaking her head fondly, Kea turned around, returning to her task: shadowing and managing.

Before she knew it, the Host club was over. Maids came around, cleaning up. Sighing in relief, Kea let her hair out of the low ponytail. While combing her fingers through her locks, an arm wrapped itself around her shoulders. Before she could react, she was pulled into a hug by Kaoru. He placed his arms around her waist and his chin on her shoulder, while Hikaru had his arm around Haruhi's shoulders.

"So Haruhi and Kea. Have you decided your elective courses for this term?" the twins asked simultaneously. "How 'bout Conversational French?" Kaoru continued.

"I don't know. I've taken French before, but it might be good to have a refresher course." Kea mused.

"I think the four of us should take it together. It makes perfect sense." Kea resisted the urge to smirk as Kaoru joined his brother in saying "We _are_ in the same class."

Tamaki was reduced to a shriveled lump, hiding under the blue-striped shadows of a cherry blossom tree. Kea shook her head, tilting her face to whisper in Kaoru's ear. He chuckled, shrugging slightly. His answer was just as quiet, but his brother heard it as well.

"Say, Mommy dear?" Kea kept one ear on Tamaki and Kyoya while keeping the other on the twins.

"What is it now… _Daddy_?"

"I have a new theory. I mean, it's just my hypothesis, but it seems that by being in the same class, Hikaru and Kaoru are able to spend more time with Haruhi than I get to here at the club! This gives them a chance to get close to her and if that happens–"

"Tamaki. You just now realized that?" Kea couldn't resist looking over her shoulder as Tamaki was electrocuted with a sudden lightning bolt. A chart with two pie graphs popped up in front of Kyoya. "According to my research, in a single day the twins spend roughly nine hours of class time with Haruhi. Meanwhile your contact with her is limited to a couple hours of club activities. In other words, your involvement in Haruhi's life each day amounts to no more than three percent on certain–"

"AAHH! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it!" Taking his hands off his ears, Tamaki grabbed Haruhi's shoulders, pulling her towards him. "Listen Haruhi! I want you to stop hanging out with those shady twins from now on!"

"Who are you calling shady?"

"Yeah! Take a good look at yourself boss!" Tamaki gasped, recoiling.

"Yes! That's it!" He clenched his fist. "Alright then! We can't go on hiding the fact that you're a girl from everyone in the school any longer! All Daddy wants is for you to go back to being the girl you used to be!" Kea groaned, resting her forehead on her fingertips.

"Who are you calling Daddy?"

"That's what I would like to know." Kea muttered. A hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up to see Takashi. "Takashi?"

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"You seem to be having a lot of headaches lately." Kea blinked, trying to come to terms with the fact that Takashi had just talked.

To her.

In multiple sentences. More than that, he was asking about her wellbeing. After staring for a few moments like a complete idiot, Kea nodded.

"I'm fine." Takashi tilted his head, his concern written in his eyes. She sighed. "If you must know, the source of my headaches is a certain pompous second year blonde." Takashi nodded.

"Physical… exams?" Everyone froze at Haruhi's question.

"That's right. I forgot all about it." Kea looked between Takashi and Kyoya. Before she could say anything, Haruhi spoke up again.

"Then that means… there's no doubt. They're going to know… I'm really a girl."

影女王

Kea tapped her foot on the ground, trying to keep calm. It was the day after the flower viewing ceremony, or whatever Tamaki called it. Everyone was gathered in Music Room 3 to discuss what to do about Haruhi. Tamaki was currently sitting in a chair, daydreaming. From the look on his face, it was most likely a fantasy about Haruhi. While Tamaki didn't seem like the type, flashes of boys from her old neighborhood crossed Kea's mind. She shivered at the reminders.

"He must be having a great daydream." Kea looked down at Mitsukuni.

"He's kind of creeping me out." Kea found herself agreeing with Hikaru. Tamaki's eyes flashed.

"Envious, Hikaru? This is all part of my strategy."

"Strategy?" Kea crossed her arms. "Dare I even ask?"

"While Hikaru wasted time, blinded by his jealousy, I've foreseen the outcome of this charade." Everyone gathered behind Kea and Hikaru. "This anime is obviously a romantic school comedy. Haruhi and I are the main characters, so that means we are love interests."

"Yeah? Then what are we?" the twins asked.

"You boys… are the homosexual supporting cast." Tamaki drew a line in the floor with a stick. "So please make sure you don't step across this line."

"You've got to be kidding." Kea shook her head.

"I know I'm going to regret this… but where do I stand in your... romantic high school comedy, Tamaki?" Tamaki flung an arm around Kea's shoulders.

"You, darling…" He poked her cheek, emphasizing his next words. "Are the best friend of the heroine who is secretly in love with me as well, but gives me up for the happiness of her friend!" He finished with a dramatic pose, arm up, sparkles all around, Kea on his side.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked." Tamaki stumbled back when an elbow was suddenly and violently jabbed into his side. Takashi allowed a small smirk at Kea's choice of removal. Hikaru sighed.

"Hey, listen boss."

"I don't think you get it."

"If word gets out that Haru-chan is really a girl, then she won't be able to be in the Host Club anymore." Mitsukuni continued. Tamaki's entire being turned white. "But, if Haru-chan started wearing girls' clothes, I bet she'd be even cuter than she is now!"

"She dressed like a regular girl when she was in middle school, right? She must have been pretty popular with all the boys."

"Yeah." Kyoya confirmed Hikaru's question. "According to my investigative reports, someone would declare their undying love to her at least once a month." Kea lifted an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, I see. So then even the boss wouldn't be able to get close to her." Hikaru grinned, a slightly evil look in his eyes.

"But we'd be able to because we're in class with her all day long."

"No way." Kea looked over at Tamaki to see him tearing up. Just then, the door opened, revealing Haruhi.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm so late." Tamaki grabbed her shoulders, once again pulling her towards him. Kea dug her fingernails into her sleeves to prevent herself from socking Tamaki in the jaw. Takashi, reading her body language, again smirked slightly.

"Don't you worry Haruhi! We're determined to keep your secret. No one will find out that you're really a girl during tomorrow's physical exams! So please, promise you'll stay our beloved secret princess!" Haruhi blinked a couple times, trying to comprehend what Tamaki was saying.

"Sure."

"You know what? I think both of us would be a little peeved if we had to watch all the guys flirt with her." Kea scoffed.

"Tell me about it. There's no way in heck I'd allow some random guy to cozy on up to my lil' darlin' Haruhi." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow as Kea's voice changed as an accent slipped its way in.

"Then that settles it." Kaoru agreed. A whiteboard with the title 'Operation Conceal Haruhi's Gender, also known as Operation I Swear Haruhi is a Boy!'' written on it. Kea sighed, hiding her eyes behind her hand.

"They always have to go overboard."

"Listen up squad members! At tomorrow's physical exams, position yourselves in Formation A, and then, wait for your orders!" Mitsukuni started applauding, while Hikaru and Kaoru saluted.

"Yes sir!" Haruhi stared blankly at them. Just then, she hit her fist on her palm.

"I've got it. You guys are worried because if they find out I'm a girl I can't be a Host and therefore can't pay my debt!" She turned around, talking to herself. Kea walked over, offering advice. The males watched as the two collaborated.

"Your balance is 5,333,332 yen, and you still need 875 customers before the debt can be forgotten." Kea gripped her chin. "However, if they find out you're a girl, then you won't be able to take customers, and as such can't make any money. Or at least not near the amount you make now." Haruhi put a hand behind her head.

"Well. Guess I'll have to come up with another way to pay you back." She started laughing. Hikaru and Kaoru turned to Tamaki.

"Do something! The subject doesn't appear to have any motivation!" Tamaki groaned.

"Why did we get stuck with such a difficult heroine?" He whirled on Haruhi, pointing at her. "Are you saying you that you hate being a Host?! That you hate this club!?"

"To be honest, I'd have to say yes." Kea winced, chuckling under her breath while she closed one eye.

"Ouch. Harsh much?" She looked over her shoulder to see Tamaki had retreated to a suddenly very dark corner.

"I mean you guys aren't bad but if it gets out that I'm a girl there's nothing I can do, you know?"

"She doesn't seem to care one way or the other."

"Well before we do anything else we have to find a way to motivate her." Takashi gripped his chin.

"Fancy tuna." Lightning went off in everyone's heads. Kea lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh that's right! You didn't get a chance to eat any during last episode's party…" Tamaki turned his head, letting everyone see the very creepy look on his face. "Did you?" Suddenly, everyone, save Kea, was in on it.

"Did you hear that? She's never eaten fancy tuna before. Isn't that awful?"

"Wow. Talk about a difficult childhood."

"If only Haru-chan could stay in the Host Club, she'd have the chance to eat all kinds of yummy things whenever she wants." Haruhi tried to blow it off.

"What are you talking about? Don't be silly!" She started waving a hand, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal. "Just because I'm poor and I've never had it doesn't mean that I'm so much of a glutton I'd go on fooling everyone about my gender just to try some fancy tuna!" She started chuckling nervously. However…

Everyone else had the same. Exact. Expression. What it meant?

She's staying.

' _Three… Two… One.'_

"Am I really going to get to try it?" Kea sighed.

' _Figures.'_ Something came to mind. "Um…" The Hosts looked at Kea. "I take it, from all the fuss you guys are making, that whatever these physical exams are... they're mandatory?"

You could have heard a pin drop.

"You mean… you've never had a physical exam before?" Kea shook her head at Tamaki's incredulous question.

"Nope. Why would I? I was homeschooled, remember?"

"Then… who made sure you were healthy?" Kea sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Myself. I had… _have_ … guidelines for a healthy life." Hikaru and Kaoru blinked.

"You mean… _you_ managed your health?"

"Uh… yeah?" Kea chuckled lightly. "Who better to make sure I'm healthy than me? After all, it's my body. I should know it." Kyoya hummed, pushing up his glasses.

"I see. Don't worry, Kea-san. We'll make sure you know what goes on. Of course, Haruhi might better explain it. After all, she _is_ a girl, though we are going to extreme lengths to hide it." Kea sighed, letting her head drop.

"Fine. But if any doctor tries anything funny they're getting booted to New Jersey. I don't care who they're affiliated with."

影女王

Kea walked down the hallway with Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi. The boys weren't at all nervous, but they had been raised in this life. Haruhi was familiar with physical exams as well, so she wasn't too worried. The only thing that concerned her was her gender being found out. As for Kea…

She would rather go swim with sharks at the moment.

"We will begin conducting physical examinations shortly. All students, please proceed to the clinic in your respective school building."

"You have more than one clinic?" Kea muttered under her breath. _'I would_ love _to see how any of these rich brats would survive Hume Lake.'_

"Relax, Kea!" Kaoru draped an arm around her shoulders. "It's not that bad. Just a weight test, measuring your chest-"

"Measuring my _what!?_ " Kea recoiled. Turning on her heel, she began to stalk away. "That's it! No way in hell am I going in there!" Hands clamped onto her shoulders.

"Hang on, Kea!" Kea glared over her shoulder at Haruhi. "That's for the boys. It's different for the girls."

"It had better be, or you can be sure my father's going to hear about this." Even though none of them knew who her father was….

They didn't want to find out.

"So… what's the deal with this 'Formation A' thing you guys were talking about?" Haruhi tried to change the subject. "What do you do during the physical exams here at Ouran anyway?"

"It's no different than the physical exam you'd get at any other school." Hikaru said calmly.

' _I doubt that.'_ Kea thought.

"Yeah!" Kaoru piped up. "Why would a physical exam be any different for us just because we're rich?" Haruhi laughed softly.

"You're right. I didn't think about it that way." Somehow, they ended up at the front of the pack. The girls hug back while the doors opened. Haruhi and Kea immediately drooped six inches. The path was lined with dozens of doctors and nurses.

"Welcome students!" Their voices rang obnoxiously in Kea's ears.

' _What the hell is this!? A nursing convention or something!?'_ Hikaru and Kaoru were completely unfazed.

"What… what is all this?" Haruhi voiced Kea's unspoken question.

"Just another physical exam." Hikaru walked in.

"The usual." Kaoru added as he walked in after his brother.

"The usual?" Kea and Haruhi chorused. They walked in together. Sweatdrops appeared as the two watched a pair of twins curtsy to the boys.

"Are they seriously _curtsying_!?" Haruhi looked up at Kea's mutter. Her expression was a mixture of awe, disbelief, bewilderment, and annoyance. "When are we? _The Victorian Era!?_ " Haruhi laughed softly.

"Take it easy, Kea. Remember: just breathe."

"Easy for you to say." Kea crossed her arms protectively around herself. "The last time I let someone wearing one of those uniforms near me something bad happened." Haruhi tilted her head. Before she could ask what, someone called out to them.

"Mr. Fujioka?" Both looked over to see a dark-auburn haired nurse and a blonde nurse standing next to them. The auburn addressed Haruhi. "I'm your nurse for the physical exams this afternoon."

"And I am yours, Miss Kea." The blonde curtsied to her. Kea nodded back. The nurse gestured with a hand towards a direction. "If you will please follow me, we have a room prepared for you." Kea followed, blinking in surprise.

"A room?" The nurse nodded. Kea couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious at that. Looking around, it was clear all the other girls had their exams in the open, or behind a simple curtain.

' _Is this because I'm an honor student?'_ That thought vanished when she saw two other nurses fall in behind her. Neither was sporting real expressions. Kea's eyes narrowed briefly, but gave no indication she saw them. _'No… there's something else going on.'_

Finally, they made it to Kea's 'room'. The door opened, revealing a normal-looking exam room. The blonde nurse opened the door, smiling. Kea smiled slightly back, walking inside.

Her senses went into overdrive.

Lifting a hand, she pretended to be pushing up her glasses. She hid her real action by actually pushing up her glasses. When the door closed, she turned around. All three nurses were standing behind her.

"Never expected you to be here… Ayanokouji." The blonde's eyes widened. They closed when she started chuckling. "And out of everything, you got your brother to dress up as a girl." Kea smirked. "I don't know whether to be impressed, flattered, or repulsed."

"None of the above." The dark haired nurse stripped, revealing a very masculine form. Azamuki wiped his face on the fabric, getting rid of the makeup. When it was clear, he glared down at Kea. "Make sure we're not interrupted."

"Of course, Master Azamuki." The last nurse bowed to the siblings, disappearing around the oaken door. That left Kea alone with the duo, which were clearly not happy with her. Ayanokouji took off the blonde wig, letting her auburn locks fall to her waist.

"So…" Kea placed a hand on her waist. "What did you want with me?"

"You." Azamuki stepped forward. Kea's eyes widened as the window opened. She whirled, her eyes widening further when three men stepped through. Turning around again, her cerulean eyes narrowed to slits.

"What are you playing at, Ayanokouji?" She didn't respond. Azamuki laughed, throwing his head back. When he returned his gaze to Kea, his amusement vanished into hatred.

"She's not playing. Neither am I." Kea growled under her breath as his gaze swept over her form, an all-too familiar glint in his eyes. "Take her away."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Haruhi lifted an eyebrow when she saw Takashi and Mitsukuni 'disguised' as doctors.

"Honey-senpai? Mori-senpai?" Both lifted a finger to their lips, telling her to be quiet. "They're so obvious."

"I brought those two for backup just in case something happens." Kyoya explained from behind her.

"But why are they in doctor disguises?" Kyoya smiled slightly.

"They're just helping to set the mood." He pushed up his glasses. "Disguises make our operation feel like a real espionage mission." Haruhi groaned. Looking over, she saw a doctor congratulate a student on her weight loss.

"Don't you think it's weird… that these doctors are all so jovial and nice?"

"They're chosen by the school's chairman. This may be a school but it's also a business. Therefore, he wants to keep the students happy." Kyoya explained. "After all, most of the students that attend Ouran Academy come from prominent families that have their own private doctors at home. So this… is just a formality." Haruhi knew Kyoya was explaining this to help her understand…

But it just felt like he was rubbing it in that they came from well-to-do families and she didn't.

' _These damn rich people.'_ She thought as she walked away, following her nurse. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two more nurses follow after Kea. Haruhi tilted her head. _'What was that about?'_

Kyoya watched as Haruhi walked away. While doing so, a doctor bumped into him. When he turned around, he got a good view of the man's face. It was scruffy, and his eyes were bloodshot with bags under them.

"I'm terribly sorry."

"No problem." Kyoya watched the man hurry away. "Huh." Meanwhile, Hikaru and Kaoru stood in front of their changing station.

"Hitachiin brothers. Would you would please come with me? It's time to do your chest measurements. You can use the area behind this curtain to undress."

"Doesn't matter to me." Hikaru said as he took off his shirt.

"We're not shy. Who needs a curtain?" Kaoru agreed as he stripped of his. The girls swooned as the two revealed their torsos. Haruhi could only gape in shock at the females' reactions.

' _Though… Hikaru does look kind of good without a shirt.'_ She shook her head, slapping herself few times. _'What am I thinking!? Snap out of it!'_

"See Haruhi? A rather impressive turnout today." Kyoya sounded quite impressed. "Physical Exam Day is quite popular with the ladies."

' _What's wrong with the girls at this school!? I'm so glad I know Kea!'_ While the girls, nurses included, were distracted, Takashi and Mitsukuni took action. They grabbed Haruhi, ushering her away.

"Come on Haru-chan! This way!" They shoved her into a curtained area. As she stumbled back, someone's arms wrapped around her.

"I've been waiting for you…" She turned her head to see Tamaki. "My princess." Haruhi separated herself, sinking to her knees.

"Tamaki-senpai!" Tamaki hummed, crouching in front of her.

"You're so cute when you're surprised!" Haruhi pouted slightly.

"Mr. Fujioka?" She looked back at the nurse's voice outside the curtain. "It's time for us to take your chest measurements. Once you've finished disrobing, would you please come with me?" Tamaki stood up.

"This is it! The inevitable moment has arrived." Tamaki smiled gently down at her. "You just stay back here and wait, okay Haruhi?"

"But what are you going to do?" Tamaki pressed a finger to Haruhi's lips.

"Don't you worry. I'll protect you." Haruhi's eyes widened. She watched as Tamaki walked towards the curtain. "I promise I'll protect you Haruhi."

"Mr. Fujioka? Are you ready to be measured now?"

"Yes." Tamaki opened the curtain. He had donned a brown wig, so the girls wouldn't know it was him standing in for Haruhi. At least… that was the plan. "I'm Haruhi… Fujioka."

It didn't work. The girls knew it was him immediately. Tamaki blanched as their whispers reached his ears. The hysterical laughter of the twins met his ears as well.

"I can't believe he actually did it!" Hikaru gasped out. Kaoru began pumping his fist while grasping at his chest.

"They recognize him! I told you they'd see through it!" Tamaki blushed as the girls began laughing along with the twins. He ripped off the wig, glaring at them. Whirling on them, he grabbed Hikaru by the throat.

"You jerks! You said there'd be no way the girls would be able to tell it was me!"

"It's payback for calling us the homosexual supporting cast!" Hikaru choked out, holding his hands up in surrender... thought the smile never left his face. Letting him go, Hikaru fell to his knees, laughing his lungs out. Everyone else was laughing right along with him and his brother. Meanwhile, Tamaki had the _wonderful_ job of explaining to Haruhi that the plan didn't work. He peeked around the corner.

"I'm sorry. They figured it out. Hehe." Haruhi whipped her head around, her eyes shooting lasers at him. Tamaki screamed in horror. He vanished again.

' _Just as I thought.'_ Haruhi sighed. _'Tamaki-senpai lives in his own carefree little world.'_ She didn't hear the footsteps behind her until a hand gently rested on her shoulder. She turned around to see Kyoya.

"Haruhi, ready?" he put a hand on his hip. "I went ahead and set up a special room for you, a special boys' clinic. And I have a doctor standing by sworn to secrecy." Outside, the rest of the Host Club, save Tamaki (who was currently slowly disintegrating into a pile of sparkly ash), stood waiting.

"It turns out the doctors here today, are all on staff at one of Kyoya-senpai's family's hospitals." Hikaru shrugged in time with Kaoru.

"Would have been nice if he said something to us earlier." Kaoru said. Kyoya just smiled.

"I had to get my revenge too." His eyes closed while he continued talking and smiling. "I'm sorry. I just don't think I'm supporting cast, homosexual or otherwise." Shaking her head, Haruhi stood, following Kyoya to the room. She knocked on the door.

"Come in." Opening the door, she saw a redhead nurse waiting for her. "Hello, Mr. Fujioka. I've been made aware of your situation. If you wouldn't mind, please disrobe for me over there." She pointed towards a curtained off area of the room.

"Sure." Haruhi closed the door behind her. Outside, the Host Club gathered to ensure nothing else went wrong. Well, went wrong that they hadn't planned.

"I'm telling the truth!" They turned at the sound of a distraught female voice. A student was crouched on the ground, her arms around her. "One of the doctors grabbed me by my shoulder! He was trying to make a pass at me! I've never been so terrified!" Kyoya gripped his chin.

"I had a feeling this might happen." The others looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Mitsukuni asked.

"A bit earlier today, I saw a strange man, wearing a white lab coat but clearly not one of our hospital's doctors, and I thought he looked a little odd." The twins wasted no time in pouncing on him.

"Shouldn't you have said something sooner?"

"Oh, well it's no big deal! I'm sure the security guard will catch him."

"Tell me miss." Once again, the Host Club overheard the crowd. "Did you happen to notice where the pervert doctor was headed?"

"Yes sir! He ran off towards the special boys' clinic!" All turned sheet while. They all turned around.

" _Haruhi!"_

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Haruhi turned around at the sound of the curtain being opened. Her eyes widened when she saw a man closing the curtain behind him.

"Excuse me…?" He turned around, his own eyes growing when he saw he wasn't alone. Before she could react, he had clamped a hand over her mouth.

"No it's not what you think! Please just keep quiet!"

"Haruhi!" Both turned around when they heard Tamaki's shout. He leapt in, his foot planting itself in the man's face. "Tama-chan kick!" The man slammed into the wall.

"One!" Haruhi looked behind her to see the twins. Both bore very serious expressions. "Good looks that attract the public eye."

"Two." A foot slammed onto the ground, the repercussions making it sound like a monster's step. Kyoya stepped out of the shadows. "More wealth than you can imagine."

"Three." Mori appeared out of nowhere. "Chivalry that will never be able to overlook…"

"The hideous wickedness of this world." Honey finished the sentence. Haruhi felt a shirt being draped over her. Tamaki stepped protectively in front of her.

"That's what makes up the Ouran Host Club!" The others lined up behind him. "We're here! Watch out!" They spoke in sync. The man paled several shades.

"Please don't hurt me!" He flung himself on his face. "Spare me my life!" Haruhi stared in shock at him.

' _I can't help but think that if Kea were here, she'd laugh at him.'_ Haruhi's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked around. Her only female friend in the school wasn't in the assembly. _'I wonder if she's okay. She would have come running the second she heard I might be in trouble… so why isn't she with them?'_

"I'm a doctor." The stranger's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "I have a small emergency medical clinic that I run in the next town over. My name is Yabu."

"Did he say his name's Yabu?" Hikaru whispered to Kaoru.

"That's crazy! What a terrible name for a doctor!" The two looked at each other. "Unless you're a quack."

"I know. I'm here because I was hoping to see my daughter. My wife left me last month and took my daughter with her! But I know that she attends school here!"

"I don't mean to pry or anything," Kyoya looked at Haruhi. "But why did your wife leave you?"

"Well, you see… I don't charge much, but even so some people can't pay. So I allow them to write up IOU's. Unfortunately, some never did pay me back." Yabu sighed. "My wife and daughter got so fed up with me that they packed their things and left that night.

"And that was it. They left me, forever! I know I'm terrible at managing our money, and I can't say no to anybody." He bowed his head. "I don't blame them for being tired of constantly living in debt." Kyoya internally sighed.

' _This man clearly has his facts mixed up. If he's as poor as he looks, so poor his wife would leave him, there's no way his daughter would be able to attend Ouran. Besides the fact that he just admitted he lives in debt!'_

"But I wanted to see my daughter one more time, so I came here! After being pelted by rain and wandering the streets I finally made it to your school. Once I entered I was mistaken for a doctor here to examine students!"

"Well of course. You're wearing a lab coat." Hikaru pointed out.

"Anyone would mistake you." Kaoru added.

"And then it happened! I thought I had found her. I reached out to grab her shoulder, but when I tried to ask her about my daughter the girl started screaming! And before I knew it there were all kinds of people chasing me!"

"That's so tragic!" Tamaki slid to the man's side. Kyoya resisted the urge to slap Tamaki for being an idiot.

"Dr. Yabu, I think you may have the wrong place. Are you looking for Ouran Public High School?" Yabu looked up.

"Yeah, that's right."

"I figured that might be the case. This is Ouran _Academy_ , a private institution. Your daughter doesn't go to school here." Yabu gaped, turning as white as a ghost.

"Man that's pretty sad. You don't even know what school your daughter goes to?"

"I bet your relationship is messed up because you don't pay attention to her, not because of some stupid debt."

"Wow, Kyo-chan! I'm impressed that you figured out he had the wrong school!" Kyoya smiled slightly at Honey's praise.

"Well there's no way the daughter of a small time doctor, would ever be able to get into Ouran Academy." He stated like it was the weather.

"Kyoya. Would you please find a map of all the public schools in this area? I would like to help this man find his daughter." Haruhi and Kyoya looked up slightly. The Vice-President smiled lightly as he walked out of the room.

"Whatever you say." Once it was done, he gave the map to the doctor. Yabu left, the Host club watching him walk down the lane.

"Are you sure about this?"

"After all, even if he does manage to find his daughter, there's no guarantee she'll want to speak to him."

"Well then, that's something he'll have to find out for himself." Everyone turned around to see Kea standing there, smiling.

"Kea!" Haruhi leapt at her, embracing her. She didn't notice the wince of pain that wracked the taller girl's body. Kea rested a hand on Haruhi's back, patting it. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" When Haruhi pulled back, all she saw was a concerned look. "Did something happen to you?" Kea's eyes widened, her hands gripping Haruhi's shoulders. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, no! I'm fine! Thanks to the guys." Kea looked up to see the Host Club staring at her. Draping an over Haruhi's shoulders, they joined them by the window.

"I never thought I'd say this… but thank you for looking out for Haruhi." They nodded. Kea directed her attention out the window, enjoying the breeze. Takashi, who was standing behind her, stole a glance down at her. His eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry about this you guys, but could you please leave?" Everyone recoiled from her. "Except you, Kea. You can stay if you want." Tamaki began panicking.

"Haruhi? Are you still angry with me? You're not thinking of quitting the Host Club, are you!?" Haruhi laughed softly.

"Don't be stupid, senpai. I've just gotta finish my physical exam. As a male student of course." All of the Hosts smiled at her. Kea smiled as well.

' _You certainly have changed in the short while I've known you, Haruhi. I'm proud.'_

"But let me explain! I'm not doing this because you're bribing me with fancy food. I'm doing it to pay back my debt!" Tamaki blushed.

"You're so cute Haruhi!" He glomped her, much to the outrage of Kea and Hikaru. "I can see right through you! I know you're just after that fancy tuna! But it's so-"

"Cut it out, senpai! NO! Hey don't touch me there!"

"Red card!" Kea said along with the twins.

"Looks like Tamaki-senpai,"

"Is the real pervert!"

"Who cares?! Would you guys just GET OUT OF HERE!?"

"Wait! What do you mean _real_ pervert!? Someone explain right now!"

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kyoya looked up in surprise as his phone rang. Picking it up, he realized it was the doctor he had assigned to Haruhi. Opening the phone, he answered. Not a minute later, he had called for a driver, running down the stairs as he pulled on a jacket over his sweatpants and T-shirt. It wasn't long before he arrived at the front gates of Ouran. The doctor was waiting for him.

"What's wrong?"

"You need to see this." She led him to the special boys' clinic. His eyes widened when he saw it had been marked off like a crime scene. The doctor paused on the outside of an area that had been taped off. It was the exact space where they had stood, watching Yabu leave, not a few hours earlier.

"What is going on here?"

"That." She pointed down. When Kyoya saw what she was pointing at, he was sure his face paled. On the carpet… in drying blood… was the outline of a left footprint…

In the exact shape of Kea's shoe.

* * *

Cliffhanger! What happened between Kea and Azamuki? Why is there a bloody footprint?

I KNOW! But I'm not te-ll-ling! _*Sing-song*_ Guess you guys are just going to have to wait for the next update. Speaking of which, can you guess who is going to appear? Personally, I think it's going to be VERY interesting when Kea meets her.

Please, please, _please_ , **_PLEASE_** review!


	6. Chapter 5

Hold the phone! Everyone stop what they are doing right this instant! What the fuck is this!? THE APOCALYPSE! No, not the apocalypse. Just me finally finding the time to update.  
And by finding the time I mean shoving my m*****f****** homework to the side to focus on something that is actually important. My mother would argue that school is more important, but FUCK THAT SHIT! I LIVE FOR FANFICTION! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry. I'm on a major sugar high right now. I've been pumping the sugar and soda so I can stay awake long enough to finish this because WHO THE FUCK NEEDS SLEEP!? I do. Haha.

Anyways, I am so, _so, so, **so** , **SSSSSSOOOOO**_ sorry for not updating sooner. AP classes are an absolute bitch with the fucking homework. And yes, I'm swearing a lot.  
Sugar does that to me. Hence the reason I don't eat it a lot. FOCUS! _*slaps myself*_ Okay! Relatively sane. Where was I? Oh yeah. Apologizing on my hands and knees.

Please forgive me for not updating sooner! I swear on my life if it was up to me I'd be updating every day. Well, maybe not every day, but as often as I could while working around all of the bodily functions necessary for life.

A special thanks to everyone of you! In the time from the last chapter, this story has been viewed a total of 1,020 times by 289 of you, has gained 7 favorites and 10 follows, and has been reviewed 21 times! On that note, here are the responses to my beloved reviewers.  
 _To **purple peace sign dolphin** :_ Sorry about the cliff! (Not really. ;}) I'm glad you like this story!  
 _To **AllyM93** :_ Again, sorry not sorry about the cliffhanger. But I _**am**_ sorry for not updating sooner. Thanks for the love!  
 _To **LadyEllesmere** :_ I'm sensing a theme here. Hope this helps!  
 _To **Guest** :_ Thanks!  
 _To **liznightangel** :_ I'm glad you are enjoying the story and Kea. You have a wise policy, my dear. But I'm glad to finally hear from you! :)  
 _To **gothicpoet0615** :_ AH! My most faithful reviewer! How wonderful to hear from you again. Once again you deliver wonderful insight on the reaction of a reader... _and it's EXACTLY what I hoped to invoke_!  
I believe I told either you or someone else this, but I don't think Ayanokouji was given enough screentime. The creators were on a time crunch, so it's understandable. But that is what fanfiction is for! Don't you worry, my friend. You will have your answers soon enough. But not this chapter.

Alrighty! With no further ado, here is - _**WAIT!**_ I need to give you guys a little warning. There is some strong language in this chapter (the actual chapter, not this part). There are a lot of strong feelings running around, and, let's just say...  
Kea gets majorly pissed off at someone. Not saying who, because that would ruin the chapter.

Okay... *goes over mental checklist* Apologize for not updating sooner? Check. Respond to all my beloved reviewers? Check. Warn them about Kea's anger... Yep! All good! Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter V**

Kyoya sighed to himself as he wrote in his notebook. Currently, he was sitting at his desk in the back room of Music Room #3. He was on free period, his last class before the Host Club opened. As such, he was always the first to arrive. Normally, he found the silence somewhat relaxing.

Today, however, his thoughts were consumed with something else. After being shown the bloody footprint the previous night, Kyoya couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong. Subsequently, he had spent hours tossing and turning before finally sending some officers from his private police force to stake out Kea's dorm room. It turned out to be a very good call on his part… because he had been right.

Someone had tried to break into her room. The perpetrator had been stopped, and Kyoya had been contacted. Because it wasn't official, they didn't report to his father or brothers. Kyoya had ensured that wouldn't happen.

In any case, he had abruptly awoken at the unholy hour of three A.M. to his phone vibrating. He was immediately wide awake. When he heard what was going on, he had the officers put him on speakerphone. What he had been told had boiled his blood like nothing before.

He had known something was wrong with Kea when Haruhi hugged her. The shorter girl's arms had been flung around Kea's waist. When that happened, an expression of pure agony had shone in Kea's cerulean eyes, briefly flashing over her entire face. In that instant, Kyoya knew, when he saw that expression, that she was in excruciating pain.

Which meant that someone had hurt her… badly. He also hadn't failed to notice that she deliberately kept her left side hidden by keeping Haruhi on that side or ensuring it was out of view from everyone. It only worsened when he saw the bloody footprint. And then to hear had happened from the horse's mouth…

Out of reflex, Kyoya's hand flexed around his pencil at the memory. He ended up breaking it. Sighing, he threw the useless tool away, taking another out of his pocket. Another sigh escaped his mouth.

"If I keep breaking these things, people are going to get suspicious." Unbeknownst to anyone, Kyoya was actually a very proficient martial artist. He made sure that no one knew. It wasn't like he was ashamed of it or anything; it was just that the whole 'secretly a martial art master' stereotype was Mitsukuni's thing.

Kyoya sighed, feeling he could blame no one but himself as his head dropped. Looking at his notebook, his dark eyes widened when he realized he had actually been writing down his thoughts. Surprised, and intrigued, he read through them. Upon halfway through, an uncharacteristic red coloring sprang up on his cheeks. Quickly ripping the page out, he crumbled it up before throwing it into the trash.

Just then, the door opened, revealing Takashi with Mitsukuni on his shoulders. Kyoya sighed in relief. If it had been the twins or Tamaki, he would have had a heck of a lot of explaining to do. Covering up his relief with his usual stoic expression, he turned to face the Strong and Silent Host and the Boy Lolita Host.

"About time you got here." Mitsukuni waved, laughing.

"Hi Kyo-chan! Sorry we're late! Takashi's kendo went later than we thought." Kyoya shook his head.

"It's fine. Now, let's start setting up."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kea, Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru walked down the hall together. Hikaru and Kaoru walked on the girls' sides, preventing any other guys from getting close. Hikaru was on Haruhi's left, and Kaoru was on Kea's right. They were all laughing at a joke Hikaru had told.

Their merry mood continued into the Host Club. Kyoya, Takashi, Mitsukuni, and Tamaki looked up at laughter. Tamaki frowned at the sight of Hikaru having an arm around Haruhi's shoulder. Well, it was probably more the fact that Haruhi didn't look like she minded the touch then the actual touching.

On the other side of the table, Kyoya felt his chest tighten at the sight of Kea flash a beautiful smile at the twins. Unlike last night, her eyes sparkled with mirth. However, the fact that she was obviously trying to hide how much she was favoring her left side didn't go unnoticed by him though. Or Takashi.

"Kea-chan!" Mitsukuni ran towards her, his arms out. Kea laughed lightly, using one hand to sling the smaller highschooler up onto her right hip. He laughed in merriment, wrapping his arms around her neck. "How are you today?" he asked her as she slowly joined the others.

"I'm fine."

"You're lying." She glanced at him. His eyes were unusually serious, his voice quiet so only she heard him. "Your left side is hurt. Pretty bad." Kea sighed.

"Don't tell anyone, alright?"

"Can I tell Takashi?" Mitsukuni smiled. "He'd find out anyways. I'm not too good at keeping secrets from him."

"That's fine. But no one else."

"Kay!" Jumping out of her arm, Mitsukuni stuck his arms out like a little kid pretending he was an airplane while running to Takashi. He climbed up the taller Host, whispering into his ear. Kea twitched her fingers when he looked at her, the only indication she gave that she had seen the glance.

"Kea-chan!" She looked over to them. "You're gonna be paired with us today!" Jumping off Takashi, Mitsukuni led him over to her. His large brown eyes shone with hope. "Is that alright?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Mitsukuni smiled, taking her hand.

"Come on! Your outfit's in back." Takashi silently followed them. Kyoya watched, his chest tightening further.

' _Am I…. jealous?'_

影女王

Kea smiled as she looked around the Host Club. Today's theme was Traditional Clothing... and Tear Day evidently. The twins' mother had designed all of the outfits, and, Kea had to admit, they were beautiful. As for the tears… Kea still had a hard time figuring that one out.

Tamaki's kimono was by far the most extravagant. His kimono was a dark gray with golden flowers embroidered all over it. He wore a golden haori with flowers over it. And as if that wasn't enough, he had somehow managed to get a hold of a hair extension, tying it back in the traditional style of a feudal lord.

The twins were wearing matching blue kimonos with a flower design. Their bangs were held back by two hair clips, Hikaru's on the left, Kaoru's on the right. Haruhi's kimono was a dark gray with lighter gray flowers. She was also wearing a haori, though hers was lavender with light pink lotus blossoms.

Kyoya's kimono was a dark brown with a flower pattern of a lighter tan spaced out over the fabric. He was kneeling at a low table, using a calligraphy brush to write down whatever he wrote on a scroll instead of the modern mechanical pencil and notebook. Kea rolled her eyes as he began reminding Haruhi about her debt again. Her ears pricked up when the girls began asking about more picture books.

"Unfortunately we don't have anything planned at present, ladies." The twins peeked over the top of the rice-paper wall.

"But doesn't the Host Club make a lot of money…" Hikaru started.

"From the sale of promotional items?" Kaoru finished. Kyoya turned around to talk with them directly.

"That's true but the items are poor quality." He fanned a set of pictures. "Those picture books were filled with nothing but amateur hidden camera shots." A tick mark pulsed on Kea's forehead.

"Well then maybe you should consider investing in new cameras, Kyoya." The bespectacled Host jumped at Kea's voice. He looked over his shoulder at her. She flicked open her fan, placing it over her mouth to hide her smirk. "The _cameras_ aren't the best quality, not the camera _woman_."

"Does that mean _you're_ the one that takes all the photos, Kea-senpai?" Kea turned, smiling gently at the gray-haired girl. She nodded, moving her fan so the girl could see her smile.

"Yeah. The equipment I have access to has seen better days, that's for sure, but I make do." The gray-haired girl smiled. Reaching inside her bag, she pulled out a pad and pen.

"Well, if you want to, you can write down your contact information." Kea tilted her head. The girl smiled. "My family deals with all sorts of cameras. From the camera in a phone, to what's used on a movie set." Kea's eyes widened. Taking her free hand out of her sleeve, she waved slightly.

"I appreciate the offer, Princess, but I couldn't possibly impose." The girl shook her head.

"It's not imposing if I offer, Senpai! Besides…" she thrust the paper and pen into Kea's hands. "You're the reason I was able to get an appointment with Kyoya-senpai in the first place!" Her eyes shone while her cheeks flushed. "I owe you. So please… allow me to pay you back." Kea smiled gently.

"Thank you darling." Kea wrote down her name and number, handing the paper back to her. "I'm so terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I forgot your name." The girl giggled.

"Oh it's understandable. You have so many names running through your head, I would actually be surprised if you remembered the name of everyone you helped." The girl curtsied slightly. "I am Chidori Hayashi." She rose. "The next time I have an appointment, I'll have a few of my servants bring some prototypes for you so you can choose which ones you want to use."

"Thank you, Princess Hayashi." Chidori giggled again, taking Kea's hand.

"Call me Chidori, please. You don't need to address me formally Senpai." Kea smiled.

"Of course, Chidori. I look forward to looking working with you in the future."

"And I you, Senpai." Chidori smiled back, walking out of the Host Club. "By the way, Senpai…"

"Yes?"

"That outfit looks wonderful on you." Kea blushed, looking down at her outfit. Her kimono was a simple red, accenting the highlights in her hair and cerulean eyes. Her haori's base color matched Takashi's: a dark, royal blue. The flowers on the sleeves and base hem of the coat tied into Mitsukuni's outfit. The obi band was a dark brown with a maze pattern, matching her hair and the pattern on Takashi's kimono.

To retain some semblance of individuality, Kea had been given a hairpin by the twins. It was a cluster of pink and red flowers with five strands of white beads hanging from it. She had kept her hair down for this day, but she wore the pin anyways. The fan in her hand was made of rice paper with a white lily, a gift from Kyoya. As always, she wore her glasses, rounding out the outfit.

"Thank you, Chidori." Chidori smiled, a slight skip in her step as she left the room. Kea sighed, opening her fan again. She tapped it against her lips as she thought.

' _Chidori is a nice girl, and smarter than she lets on.'_ A slight smirked pulled up at Kea's lips. _'I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. Who knows? I might even be able to strike up-.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Mitsukuni crying. Swiftly turning, she wasted no time in rushing to the shortest Host's side. She knelt in front of him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with tears. In one hand he held a zori sandal.

"What's wrong, Mitsukuni?" He sniffled, looking like an adorable child.

"I don't know how but I lost one of my sandals!" He started crying again. Kea heard the sounds of the girls sighing in concern at him. Almost silent footfalls made her look up.

"Mitsukuni." Takashi knelt at his cousin's side, lifting up his right foot. In doing so, he slipped the missing sandal onto Mitsukuni's foot.

"Takashi?"

"I noticed that you dropped it."

"Takashi!" Mitsukuni flung himself into Takashi's arms. The tallest Host held him close as Mitsukuni cried. Kea knew the tears were forced, albeit completely effortlessly, but it was a heartwarming scene nonetheless. She started rubbing Mitsukuni's back, her gaze soft. The girls around started whispering to themselves.

"How sweet."

"Isn't it though?" The first girl leaned towards her companion.

"Look at Kea-senpai. She almost looks like a mother." The brunette next to her nodded, her eyes swimming.

"They look like a family, don't they?" She sighed dreamily. "Mori-senpai is the father, Honey-senpai is the son, and Kea-senpai is the mother." Both squealed to themselves. Takashi and Kea exchanged a hidden, but extremely amused, glance. Takashi's eyes sparked for a moment.

" _You might get some customers if you keep this up."_ Kea's nose wrinkled slightly.

" _It's your job to attract the ladies. I have no interest."_ A soft, almost inaudible, huff came from Takashi's nostrils.

" _Sure you don't."_ When Mitsukuni finally calmed down, Kea realized he had fallen asleep. Shifting to her knees, she gently slipped her arms under Mitsukuni's arms. She then lifted him from Takashi's lap, cradling him to her chest. She and Takashi returned to their designated area just as his next appointment came in. Kea continued to hold Mitsukuni, answering questions when asked, occasionally glancing down at Mitsukuni. He woke up in time for his own appointment, and immediately asked for some cake.

"I'll get it." Setting Mitsukuni down, Kea slipped silently into the back. On her way there, she saw Hikaru and Kaoru teasing Haruhi. _'Don't those two ever stop?'_ However, she couldn't help but notice Hikaru was more affectionate towards Haruhi, though it came across in a more mischievous, teasing manner than his brother. As she stepped into the back, she was met with Kyoya. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. I just don't have any more appointments today." His tone was aloof to the average listener. Kea, however, caught the slight underlying tinge of relief. She walked to the fridge, rolling her eyes at him.

"You know, you don't have to accept requests." Kea commented as she opened the fridge to look at the cakes. "Hm… chocolate with mousse, strawberry with cream, vanilla and shavings, or angel food with strawberry?"

"I actually do. It's considered an honor to be requested." Kyoya didn't remove his eyes from her figure. She was bent over at the waist, and, since she was right in front of him, it granted him a great view, albeit covered in fabric. He tried to fight the urge to blush, instead pushing up his glasses. "Angel food with strawberry." Kea made a small sound of affirmation.

Reaching blindly to her right, she grabbed a knife, cutting a piece off of the cake. When she turned, Kyoya was mildly surprised when the sight of two pieces met his gaze. His surprise only grew when she shifted her fingers, revealing another plate. It grew again when she offered him the second piece.

"You're stressed. Sugar isn't the best thing for lowering stress levels, but it does help in making you feel better." Kyoya reflexively took the place when it was pressed to his chest. He watched as she left, turning his head to stare at her as long as possible.

From here, he could see her bend over again, offering the piece of cake to Mitsukuni. He laughed gleefully, hugging her before sitting down to devour the sugar. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head, sitting down next to Takashi as she began conversing with the guests. Kyoya sighed to himself, taking out a fork before eating his piece.

"You certainly are quite the puzzle, Kea." By the time he finished the cake and put the dishes in the sink, the Host Club had closed. Tamaki was flirting with Haruhi again. _'Does that idiot never learn?'_ Everything stopped when Tamaki looked up. Following his gaze, Kyoya realized someone was staring at them from behind the doorframe. Nudging Kea, he motioned with his eyes for her to look over as well.

Kea hummed softly at the sight. It was a young girl, probably around Haruhi's age. Her hair was a long, dirty blonde, held back by a pink bow. Her eyes were brown, and they swept over the group, clearly looking for someone.

' _First time appointment perhaps? Makes sense.'_ Kea was about to step forward to greet the girl, but the twins beat her to it. Kaoru and Hikaru offered the girl a rose. When she began shying away, Tamaki appeared.

"Stop that. How many times do I have to tell you boys to be more courteous to our first time guests?" He turned around, offering a hand to the girl. "Please, you don't have to be afraid my princess. I welcome you… to the Ouran Host Club." Thinking everything was settled, Kea returned to flipping through her book.

Boy was she wrong.

Instead of taking his hand, the girl slapped Tamaki, sending him flying.

"NO! Don't touch me! You're phony!" Kea, uncharacteristically, gasped. Running forward, she steadied Tamaki as he regained his feet.

"What do you mean… I'm phony!?" She pointed a finger at him.

"Just what I said! You're phony! I find it hard to believe that someone like you is the prince character of this Host Club!"

' _Prince…_ character _?'_ Kea internally groaned. _'Plleeaase tell me I'm wrong!'_

"You shouldn't go spreading your love so easily like that! You stupid! You must be a dimwitted narcissist! You're incompetent! A commoner! You're disgusting!"

' _Okay, slapping him is an absolute no-no, but throwing around insults?! Albeit the stupid one is rather spot on.'_ Kea gritted her teeth. _'Just who the hell does this girl think she is!?'_ Just then, the girl flew by to tackle Kyoya in a hug.

"Oh how I longed to meet you! My one and only prince charming!"

This time… Kea did not bother hiding her anger.

' _She._

' _Is._

' _DEAD!'_

影女王

Kea sat next to Kyoya, looking across at the girl. Well, not fully. She was tending to Tamaki, who had quite the bruise forming on his cheek. While doing that, she was listening to the girl introduce herself.

Okay. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you here and tell you that the _ONLY_ reason Kea was tending to Tamaki was so she wouldn't strangle the girl. Evidently….

According to her….

She was Kyoya's fiancée.

"Of course! My name is Renge Houshakuji, and I'm transferring into Ouran Academy's First Year Class A tomorrow." As soon as she was done, Tamaki went off into his emo corner. The angry one this time, not the sad one.

"Why is he sulking?"

"Because _Mommy_ was keeping a secret from _Daddy_ , Hikaru." Kea answered. She emphasized 'Mommy' and 'Daddy', knowing it would aggravate Kyoya.

It did. He shot her a glare before asking a question of his own.

"Whatever. Why does everyone insist on referring to us like we're husband and wife?"

' _Because it annoys the crap out of you.'_ Kea thought to herself. Her momentary glee was squashed by Renge.

"Ours is a story of love at first sight!" Kea clenched her fists, squashing the urge to shut her up. "I couldn't resist the way you were adoring the flowers in the backyard when you thought no one else was looking."

' _Ouran doesn't_ have _a backyard. Unless she counts the rose maze, but if she's transferring… ah f-'_

"And how sweet it was when you reached out to that poor little injured kitten."

' _I have_ never _heard of Kyoya going anywhere_ near any _type of animal. Unless you count the twins.'_

"She serious?" the little devils asked.

"Could you have the wrong perso-?"

"No way!" Renge cut Haruhi off. "I can recognize my love anywhere!" Behind Kyoya, the twins were freaking out. Secretly, Kea wanted to join them.

"He's a gentle man who's kind to everyone-"

' _Nope.'_

"But doesn't ask anything in return-"

' _Oh like hell he doesn't.'_

"He likes solitude-"

' _Eh… depends on his mood.'_

"But in fact sometimes he gets lonely."

' _Maybe.'_

"He looks like the star of the popular dating sim, Uki-Doki Memorial!"

' _SAY WHAT!?'_

"You're my real life Ichijo Miyabi!" Everyone turned sheet white.

"Uki?" asked Haruhi.

"Doki?" asked Mitsukuni.

"OTAKU!" Kea and Tamaki screamed in horror while holding each other and holding an open hand out towards Renge in an effort to keep her away.

"OTAKU!?" echoed Hikaru, copying Tamaki's posture. Takashi was completely lost.

"I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE!" Kaoru freaked out, mimicking Kea. The four held each other, staring at Renge like she as some sort of alien. Kyoya was the only one who was calm.

"I get it now." The entire Host Club fixed their eyes on Kyoya while Renge was running back and forth like some kind of lunatic. "You're in love with that character. You're projecting that love onto me, and you've somehow deluded yourself into thinking that we're engaged. I assume this Miyabi character probably wears glasses as well."

"You mean… so she… made it up?" Tamaki's voice was hopeful. "You're not really her fiancé, right?"

"Well no I don't remember ever asking for her hand in marriage. Besides this is the first time I've ever met the woman." Everyone sweatdropped, before collapsing onto the floor. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SO SOONER, KYOYA!

"According to my research I understand that you're in charge of managing the club. Is that true Kyoya?" Kea leaned her elbows on the back of the couch.

"That's right! Kyo-chan is our Director!" Mitsukuni answered the girl's question.

"You're the club's Director!? That's perfect!" Renge began daydreaming… again. "Oh wow! I've always wanted to wear a sandwich board to advertise a business."

"We don't advertise. We're just a Host Club." The twins stated, shutting that dream down. Kea lifted an eyebrow slightly at their tone of voice. They were irritated.

"I've made up my mind! From now on, I'm going to be the Manager of this Host Club." The twins sighed, realizing she wasn't going to listen to them.

"Not gonna happen." Renge froze, trying to find the owner of the voice. It didn't take her long, since everyone but Kea and Takashi had said something, and Takashi was obviously not a girl. Well, technically Kea had screamed, but screaming and talking are two very different things. Renge narrowed her eyes at Kea.

"And why not?"

"Because that's already Kyoya's position." Renge frowned, thinking. She clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

"Then I'll be his assistant!"

"Not happening." Renge stuck her hands on her hips.

"Why not!?" Kea didn't give an inch.

"Because that's _my_ position." "Because that's _Kea's_ position." Kea looked to her right and left to find the twins had copied her position: forearms on the couch, leg crossed over the other one. Renge sighed, opening her eyes as wide as they can go.

"Do you think I could be the assistant for a while? Please?" She clasped her hands together, swaying back and forth slightly. Kea smirked to herself.

' _This girl is an absolute idiot.'_ "Sorry, but the title of 'Assistant Manager' isn't just given. It has to be earned." As the two girls faced off, Tamaki talked to Kyoya.

"Um, listen Kyoya?"

"Miss Houshakuji is the only daughter of a very important Ootori family client." Kyoya closed his eyes. "So please be polite and try not to offend her, alright?"

"Then it's settled!" Everyone recoiled at Renge's shout. "I shall earn my way into Kyoya's heart, and become his new assistant manager!" She ran out of the club, laughing like a maniac. Kyoya looked over at Kea… and wished he hadn't.

If looks could kill, Renge would have been disintegrated. Even though her body language, to the average onlooker, hadn't changed, it was obvious to everyone in the Host Club that she was majorly POed. Her entire body radiated death. Kyoya smirked to himself, gripping his chin.

' _My my. Is someone jealous?'_

影女王

"I thought about it a lot last night. Renge is obviously infatuated with Kyoya. Due to the fact that their families are business partners, we can't simply shoo her off. However!" Tamaki flung a hand up in the air. "Maybe having Renge around won't be such a bad idea."

"Why do you say that?" the twins asked. _'You're not the one that has to deal with her in class.'_

"Well it's fairly obvious, isn't it? Renge just transferred into the same class as Haruhi. So if Haruhi has a girl friend around, it could bring out the female within her! Renge's girlish air of tenderness might be able to stimulate Haruhi's own sense of femininity."

"Good grief." Haruhi and Kea moaned.

"Now is our chance to help Haruhi get in touch with her feminine side. This is an important project men. She doesn't have any friends in class right now other than these two shady twins. That's no good for her!"

"Ehem!" Tamaki stiffened, looking at Kea. "What about me? I'm in Haruhi's class as well, and we hang out after classes a lot." Haruhi nodded.

"Yeah. No offense to her, but I don't really want to get to know Renge. From what I've seen, she's an obsessed fangirl." Haruhi smiled. "Kea's the only girl friend I need."

"Well… it would be good for you to hang out with other girls outside of the Host Club, Haruhi." Haruhi rolled her eyes, playfully glaring at Kea.

"Like you do? Last I checked, you use your free time to help get more girls _into_ the Host Club, not _out_ of it." Kea shrugged, smirking at the brunette.

"Well we've got to get your debt paid somehow. I simply help. After all, if I couldn't further your popularity, then what kind of friend would I be?" Haruhi laughed.

"One who wasn't interested in helping the Host Club." The girls laughed together, completely ignoring the boys. All of them, especially Tamaki and Kyoya, were shell-shocked. Only the twins had heard Kea and Haruhi laugh like that before.

The mood was ruined by the door opening.

"Hey everyone!" Renge peeked around the door. "You'll be happy to know that your future Assistant Manager has made you some cookies!" Tamaki gasped.

"Isn't she ladylike!? I'm so moved by your generosity."

"I didn't bake these cookies for you, you phony prince." Tamaki was sent to the sad emo corner, while Renge flirted with Kyoya. "I'm sorry I burnt them a little bit. I did the best I could. And I already know what you're going to say."

"Thanks but I don't eat sweets." Renge didn't hear Kyoya. Kea, on the other hand, did.

"Oh you're always so sweet to me Kyoya!" Mitsukuni began to eat a cookie.

"She wasn't kidding. These cookies really are burned." Takashi and Kea rushed over to him, hands outstretched.

"Don't eat that Mitsukuni! It's bad for you." Kea took the cookie, crushing it.

"I'll go get you some mi-"

"AAAHHH!" Renge leapt after the Boy Lolita. Takashi picked him up as he ran away from the girl. Kea rushed into the back, grabbing a glass of water. Exchanging a glance with Takashi, she waited till he had passed before throwing the water on the ground.

Renge slipped, spinning around and around until she was stopped by Kea's foot. The blonde's eyes were spinning, but they focused soon enough. Kea offered her a hand up, one she took gratefully. However, her eyes widened when Kea began to squeeze her hand to the point of pain.

"Don't _ever_ … treat Mitsukuni like that… _again_." Kea whispered. Renge gulped, nodding. Kea smiled, shaking Renge's hand. "Glad you're not hurt, Miss Houshakuji." Walking away, she let Takashi put Mitsukuni on her shoulders. "C'mon. Let's get you some milk."

"Kay!" Mitsukuni laughed as Kea began to skip to the back. On her way there, they both saw Tamaki freaking out, while the twins grinned. The short blonde looked down at Kea as she looked up. They shared an amused look. "What do you want to bet the twins did something with Haruhi?"

"Oh they definitely did." The two giggled, vanishing into the back. Through the door, they could hear Tamaki screaming. Once it was shut, Kea and Mitsukuni burst out laughing. Mitsukuni rolled on the floor, while Kea bent over, clutching her stomach.

"Those twins are a class act!" Kea took off her glasses, wiping her eyes. "They would kill at Noah's Ark Circus." Mitsukuni tilted his head.

"Noah's Ark Circus? What is that?" Kea waved him off, opening the fridge.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with." Pouring a mug of milk, she gave it to him, who was sitting on the ground, playing with Usa-chan.

"Thanks Imōto!" Kea smiled, ruffling Mitsukuni's hair.

"Anytime." The duo walked out to see Kyoya trying to resolve the situation. Mitsukuni headed towards Renge, while Kea joined Takashi and Kyoya.

"Every single one of you!" Everyone looked at Renge. "Except for Kyoya, all of your characters are lukewarm! Each of you needs to have some kind of dark side, you understand?

"Girls are bolder around handsome young men who are troubled! If you keep carrying on like this, it's only a matter of time before girls get tired of you and stop coming altogether! Are you _trying_ to ruin my precious Kyoya's business!?" Kea felt a large vein pulse in her forehead. Turns out, Renge wasn't done.

"As an aspiring Assistant Manager, it's my duty to change your character backgrounds! Let's start with you!" She pointed at Mitsukuni. Kea fixed a pointed glare at Renge, but she was too far gone to notice it.

"If all you are is cute inside and out then you're no different than a baby. Therefore… _from now on you are the baby-faced thug!_ " Mitsukuni screamed in horror.

"Oh like he-!"

"And Mori-senpai, you're his childhood friend, the flunky! The twins will be basketball players enslaved in their own world. Haruhi, you're an honor student who's constantly being bullied. And as for you Tamaki, you're the school idol who's admired for your good looks but you actually have an inferiority complex you're hiding from the world. The lonely prince!" Tamaki gasped as Renge turned to Kyoya. "And Kyoya you're perfect just the way you are now, so I want you to stay as kind and as affectionate as ever, 'kay?" Kea scoffed.

"If being cynical and manipulative is what you consider 'kind and affectionate', then you're right on the money." Renge whirled on Kea.

"You're just jealous that I'm going to take over your place!" Kea scoffed again, picking up her schoolbag.

"Yeah, whatever." The twins looked after her as she walked out.

"Where are you going, Kea?"

"I've got a meeting to get to. I'll see you later." Kea closed the door behind her, sighing to herself. Leaning against it, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Sighing again, she walked down the hallway, her footsteps echoing.

"This is stupid. Why am I getting so worked up about this?" Outside, a cloud covered the sun. shadows covered the grounds.

"It's not like… like I… like I care about Kyoya…

"Do I?"

影女王

"What… the… _hell!?_ " Kea hissed. _'I walk through the garden, trying to find Kyoya, and_ THIS _is what I find!?'_ The brunette growled to herself, flipping her braid over her shoulder. "I know who's behind this." Stalking through the mass of people, she eventually found some of the Host Club. All of them were soaking wet.

"What happened!?" Haruhi looked over at Kea. Today, the cerulean-eyed girl's hair was held back in a single French Braid. Her bangs still framed her face.

"Hey Kea. Nice hairdo." Kea smiled at the girl.

"Thanks. But what happened to you!?" She looked to her right, where the twins were sitting. "Why are you guys soaking wet?"

"Well… you remember yesterday? How Renge was going on and on about changing our characters?" Kea stiffened, before slumping over slightly.

"Yeah. But what is with the film crew?" Kyoya looked up from his book.

"Apparently these guys are from Hollywood. Don't you recognize the director? Kea looked over at the man. "He directed the vampire movie _Merenial Snow_. It was the number one grossing box office hit in America last year." Kea grinned.

"Oh yeah! I remember him." Hikaru tilted his head.

"Did you see it?" Kea chuckled.

"Yep." She popped the 'p' for emphasis. Dropping her bag, she tossed it over to them. It landed perfectly by Hikaru's chair. "I walked the red carpet on the debut night in Los Angeles." Haruhi, the twins, and Kyoya gaped at the brunette as she walked over to the group.

"Excuse me!" The group turned. The director's face split into a smile.

"Kea! How wonderful!" He wrapped his arms around the girl, lifting her up in a bear hug. "I did not know you would be here!" Kea laughed, fixing her clothes. Two attendants came over, doing it for her.

"I go to school here now. Didn't you know?" The man shook his head.

"'Fraid not. But I do now!" Renge cleared her throat.

"Hate to interrupt, but how do you know Mr. Johnson, Kea?" The man, Pietro Johnson, wrapped an arm around Kea's shoulders.

"Why, Miss Kea here was Persephone Fangora!" The Host Club, who had gathered, gaped, along with Renge.

"A-Are you serious!?" Renge screeched. Kea snickered. Lowering her voice, she rasped out her next words.

"Vat's the matter, darling? Vou don't recognize me? Such a shame. Vour blood is so sweet smelling." Renge swooned, while the film crew clapped and hooted.

"Amazing! You've still got it Kea!" A crewmember clapped Kea on the back, making her temporarily loose her balance. She regained it, smiling. It was only temporary, as Renge tackled her in a hug.

"I can't believe it! I've always wanted to meet you!" Pulling back, she slapped herself on the forehead. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you! Of course, you aren't wearing that gorgeous dress, or your costume, and I don't remember you wearing glasse-." Kea placed a hand over Renge's mouth, lifting an eyebrow.

"Wait. You watched _Merenial Snow_?" Renge nodded.

"Of course! Persephone was my inspiration! I've aspired to be just like her!" Kea lifted an eyebrow again, crossing her arms.

"Well, hate to break it to you, but you're _way_ off base. Aside from the glitzy part. And even then." Renge shrugged.

"Eh. I decided I could do without the whole 'bringing-your-worst-nightmare-to-life' thing." She shook it off, her eyes sparkling again. "But it's still an honor to meet you! OH!" She grabbed Kea's hand with both of hers. "Could you help me with something?"

"And… what would that be?"

"Mitsukuni isn't following the script. Could you help me find some boys who fit the bill of punks?" Kea blinked in surprise.

"Uh… why me?"

"Because!"

"That's not an answer. Besides, who in their right mind would help someone find others to bully their friend?" Renge huffed, stalking away.

"Fine! I'll find them myself!" Kea rolled her eyes, pushing her glasses up.

"Whatever. Pietro." The man looked at her. "Could I see what you've got so far?"

"Sure! Right over here." As Kea bent over the monitor, Tamaki ran up to Haruhi. She turned around as he called her name.

"So how was I? Did you like my performance?" Haruhi stood, handing him a towel.

"It was pretty awesome. I'm surprised you were able to get into your character like that. You were really believable."

"I've discovered a new, darker side of myself. I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to explore it."

"Are you sure about that?" Tamaki stopped rubbing his head with the towel. "Because I think you're fine just the way you are now Senpai." Tamaki blushed.

"You do?" He ducked his head in embarrassment. "Well, if you say so Haruhi." He began poking his fingertips together.

"Haruhi's right, Tamaki." Tamaki looked over his shoulder to see Kea. "As obnoxious as you can be sometimes…" Tamaki frowned, but his eyes soon widened as Kea began to dry his hair. "You make it pretty entertaining. I'm willing to bet that's why the Host Club has done so well up to this point."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you _are_ the most requested Host." Kea chuckled, pulling the towel off his head. Tamaki's hair was all ruffled from the towel. An attendant began to comb his hair, but Kea took over. "Between you and Kyoya, I'd say you two are the-." A crash cut her off. "What was that?"

The two ran around the corner, stopping short. Haruhi was collapsed on the ground, Renge in front of her. Two boys were standing there. As Haruhi looked over at them, the two saw the tears in her eyes. In a rage, Kea and Tamaki each grabbed a boy by his collar, shoving him against the wall. The window above shook from the force of it. Kea just snarled in the back of her throat while Tamaki questioned the boys.

"So which one of you jerks started this?" The boy held by Kea paled considerably as her eyes darkened.

"I-It's not what you think! That girl started it! She was giving us a hard time!" Kea narrowed her eyes, looking over at Renge. She avoided Kea's eyes.

"He's telling the truth, guys." Both Tamaki and Kea looked at Haruhi. "It wasn't their fault. They were provoked." Tamaki let go of the boy, as did Kea. The second they were free, they ran off. Tamaki cupped Haruhi's face, concerned.

"Haruhi? Are you in any pain?" Renge tried to get up, but Kea planted a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay… down." She growled. Renge shivered, meekly obeying. Kea watched as Haruhi took something out of her eye.

"Yeah. It's my contact." Tamaki gaped in surprise.

"Your… contact?"

"Yeah. I guess it must have slipped out." Kea sighed in relief, her entire body deflating. Tamaki began to laugh in relief as well, placing a hand on his forehead.

"I see how it is. You're able to cry without using eye drops! So you're a full-fledged Host now!" Haruhi smiled.

"You… you…" Renge whirled on the cameramen. "Please tell me you got that cameraman!"

"Yes boss!" Kea smirked as a figure came around them.

"Other than Haruhi's contact falling out that was an ideal final scene! All it needs is a moving narration by my sweet Kyoya!" Just then, said 'sweet' Kyoya slammed a rock into the lens, shattering it. Kea smirked, stepping back, which would have allowed Renge to stand, should she have had the strength.

"No! What'd you do to my camera!?"

"Why? Is something wrong?" Kea bit her lip, trying to not burst out laughing.

"I'm terribly sorry but I cannot allow there to be any record of a club member engaging in violence." Kea could have done a happy dance at Kyoya's expression… for it was far from neutral. If anything, it was blatantly obvious to everyone that he was majorly ticked off. "I think you caused enough trouble around here Renge. Please stop being such a pest."

' _As soon as I get back to my room, I am dancing until I can dance no more!'_ Kea thought gleefully. _'Heck, if my reputation, and Kyoya's, wasn't at stake, I'd be running up the walls. Screw it! I'd be_ singing _!'_

"A pest." Regaining control of her thoughts, Kea looked over at Renge to see that she was crying. "But you're supposed to pat me on the head and tell me not to worry! You're supposed to be kind and affectionate Kyoya!" Renge ducked her head. "Why are you acting so differently now!? Tell me why!"

"Because that's not the real Kyoya." Renge's entire body froze. She looked up at Kea, who was looking down at her. "You've been living in a fantasy this entire time, Renge."

"That's not-!"

"It _is_ true, whether you like it or not!" The gathered crowd gasped at Kea's shout. The crew had heard her shout before, yeah, but that was acting. This… this was real life.

"You need to get your head out of the virtual world and into reality, Renge." Even though her voice was harsh, Kea's eyes were soft. "You've been locked up in your room for so long you can no longer distinguish what is real and what is fake. If you really want to know someone… if you really want someone to be kind and affectionate towards you… if you really want them to _love_ you…" Kea placed a hand on Renge's head, petting her hair slightly. "Then you have to learn about them as a person, regardless of what they look like." Renge fell to her knees, sobbing. Kea stepped back, sighing to herself as Haruhi crouched in front of the crying girl.

"Does it really matter?" Renge fixed her eyes on the short-haired Host. "Who cares if someone is a little different then how you expected them to be? Take a good look at the person on the inside and get to know them little by little. It's a lot more fun that way." Kea smiled to herself, turning around and walking away.

' _Finally… the nightmare is nothing more than a bad memory once again.'_

影女王

"Welcome ladies!" Kea smiled brightly at the girls. "Tamaki is waiting for you."

"Thank you Kea-senpai!" She giggled, waving them off. She watched as they gathered around the Host's King. Unbeknownst to anyone else, in the week since the whole Renge fiasco, Kea and Kyoya had edited and sold the film. It was a major hit, and requests had been flooding in like there was no tomorrow. She joined Kyoya just in time to hear Tamaki's expectant call.

"I may have broken the camera lens but the footage that we'd already shot wasn't damaged. Naturally I did cut out that one violent scene, but, thanks to Kea's wonderful editing skills, the entire film flowed together beautifully. Sales have been pretty good so far! That Hollywood film crew did a fantastic job. But then I guess that's to be expected." Kea giggled, covering her hand with her mouth.

"Of course. After all, _I_ did work with them for two years on that vampire movie." The twins and Tamaki sweatdropped.

"So is this what you meant by interesting?" the Hitachiins asked.

"It's best to have as much money as we can in the club's budget." Haruhi sweatdropped as well.

' _And just when did he start calculating all of this?'_ The brunette was snapped from her thoughts at the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Good day everyone." The Host Club looked to their right to see Renge standing there.

"Renge?" Tamaki asked. "But I thought you'd gone back to France already."

"I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner. It was so chivalrous of you to risk your life to protect me. I could feel the love when you lectured me about judging people." Kea blanched.

' _Oh by all that is holy please tell me she is still straight!'_ Kea's eyes widened when Renge grabbed Haruhi's hand.

"When you said it was fun to get to know people little by little you were talking about me!" Tamaki and Kea bristled, making incomprehensible noises in the back of their throats. It only worsened when Renge began dragging Haruhi away. "Come on Haruhi! Let's go to my house and play some games together! I think it's time you got to know me better."

"WHAT!?"

"Excuse me." Renge stopped pulling on Haruhi to look at Kea. "I hate to interrupt, but Haruhi still has a full day of hosting ahead of… him. Your little… arrangement… is going to have to wait." Renge bopped a fist on her palm.

"Oh yeah! I meant to talk to you too, Kea!" Kea's cerulean eyes widened.

"Really?" Renge nodded.

"I wanted to say sorry for trying to overthrow you. It's obvious to me now that you and Kyoya are involved. The way you defend him practically screams your love for him!" Kea blushed beet red from her neck up. "But… if you'd allow me…" Renge began rocking back and forth on her heels. "I'd still like to help you run your club." Regaining control, Kea opened her notebook.

"Well, Kyoya and I have the management under control." Renge's head drooped slightly. "However… Renge?"

"Yes?"

"How often do you cosplay?" Kea smirked to herself at Renge's gasp.

"Whenever I can!" She began posing. "The only true show of absolute admiration is to become the person you admire!" She inhaled. "That said… why do you ask?" Kea looked up.

"Well…." She drawled. "We could use some tips on different themes for the Host Club from time to time. The boys here are a bit limited in creative ideas." Renge squealed, tightly wrapping her arms around Kea's neck.

"I'd love to! Just call whenever you need me!" Renge skipped out of the room, blowing a kiss towards Haruhi. "I'll be waiting Haruhi!" The twins watched her leave.

"Hey Kyoya-senpai."

"You okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Everything Renge said is true."

"NO IT ISN'T!" Tamaki was still bristling. Kyoya smiled, shrugging.

"But I thought you were the one who wanted her to have a female friend in the first place?"

"Well yeah! A _female companion_ , not a _girlfriend_!" Kea laughed, shrugging.

"Well… that's for you to work out, Tamaki." Ignoring his cries, she walked to the back. _'You know… maybe Renge won't be so bad to have around. She's… actually kind of fun.'_

影女王

Kea sighed to herself as she washed dishes in the back of the Host Club. It was her day, and, for once, she didn't mind. After the Host Club had closed, everyone had gone home. Today had been hectic, and she needed the time alone to gather her thoughts.

She couldn't get what Renge said out of her head. The rational side of her head said that it was Renge overreacting, as usual. And, as usual, overthinking and putting an emotional spin on things. That it was just Renge… being Renge. On the other hand… there was still the issue of Kea's mind holding onto the words 'practically screams your love for him'. If holding onto them wasn't enough, she heard it repeated over and over again, till it was no longer Renge's voice saying it. Instead of Renge's voice saying them…

It was her own.

Sighing, Kea let the dish sink back into the soapy lukewarm water. Placing her hands on the rim of the sink, she rested her weight on her arms. Forcefully shutting her eyes, she began mumbling under her breath. She was so lost in her chanting she didn't know she was no longer alone till two arms appeared next to hers and a chest pressed into her back.

Jumping in surprise, Kea tried to whirl. A leg slipped between hers, pinning her. Before she could freak out, a familiar chuckle sounded in her ear. Kea's body relaxed at the voice.

"You are _asking_ to die, Ootori." Kyoya chuckled louder.

"Ooh, last name uh? Did I make you that mad?" His voice dropped to a husky whisper as he practically pressed his lips to her ear. "Or are you that made at yourself for letting your guard down?"

"Shut up. I was just… thinking." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow, stepping back slightly. Kea turned around, pressing her back to the sink in order to gain some more space between them.

"About me?"

"You wish you were so lucky." Kyoya chuckled darkly. Lifting a hand, he removed his glasses, placing them on the counter. Behind her own, Kea's eyes widened. She whipped her head away so she wouldn't look at him.

"Ah. Are you shy?"

"Shut up!"

"Then look at me." Kyoya used his free hand to take hold of Kea's glasses. He didn't pull them off though. At least, not at first.

Kea stiffened when his fingers curled around the rims of her right lens. When her glasses didn't move, she relaxed. Kyoya slowly… methodically… took them off. Her bangs fell around her eyes, that she had closed.

"Kea…" Kyoya whispered.

"What?" she whispered back.

"Let me see your eyes." Kea took a deep breath. Ducking her head, she turned it so it was facing him. She slowly raised her face, her eyes hesitantly opening. Kyoya sucked in a breath at the sight.

He had thought her eyes were beautiful before, but, free from her glasses, they were enchanting. A dark Catalina blue surrounded her pupils, blending perfectly into her pitch black pupils. The blue became lighter towards the outside of her iris, ending in cobalt. Traces of lighter blues were intertwined in the dark shades, catching the light and sparking with her strongest emotions. They flickered back and forth, trying to reach his gaze.

"Wow." She smirked slightly, laughing under her breath.

"Is that a good 'wow' or a bad 'wow'?" Kyoya smirked slightly, tucking her left bangs behind her ear.

"A good one. I've never seen anyone with pure blue eyes." Kea chuckled.

"Well, it helps that both of my parents have blue eyes." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Interesting."

"Now… is there something you needed?" Kyoya shook his head. "Then what are you doing here Kyoya?"

"Were you jealous?" Kea blinked several times.

"Huh?"

"Of Renge. Were you jealous of all the attention I was getting from her?" Kea lifted an eyebrow.

"You get fawned over by girls all the time. What makes Renge so different?"

"The fact that she called me her fiancé." Kea blinked again, but Kyoya could tell it was different. The reason he had taken her glasses was so he could read her reactions with no hindrance.

"Why would I be jealous of that? It was obvious from the start that she was an overobsessive fangirl. It just turned out that she spent her life in front of a game console instead of being a secret admirer." Kyoya leaned closer. "Kyoya? What are you-?"

"Kea…" Kyoya leaned so close their noses were touching. Kea blushed deeply, her rosy cheeks turning beet red. Kyoya stared right into her eyes, not giving an inch. "Why did you get so upset when Renge started trying to change everyone?"

"Oh what? I was supposed to let her have her way?" Kea glared. Without her glasses, it was all that more intense. "I don't care if her family works with yours."

"Why not?"

"Because rich as fuck or not she doesn't have the right to enforce her will on people like that!" Kyoya blinked in surprise, both at the choice of language and the shout. Kea groaned, looking away. "Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Kea glanced at him. "You're absolutely right you know." Kyoya chuckled, resting his forehead against Kea's. "If it makes you feel better, I never would have replaced you with her." He smirked at the widened eyes.

"Oh? And why is that?" Kyoya tilted his head, moving Kea's slightly as well. "After all, she is the only daughter of an important client, is she not?"

"Yeah… that's true." Kyoya sighed, lowering his voice. "But she's not my type." He sighed again, pulling back slightly. Before she could do anything, he put her glasses back on.

"Get back to work. Those dishes won't clean themselves." Kea lifted a hand to her glasses, adjusting them. She could only stare after him as he walked out.

"What was that about?" Shrugging, she turned back to the sink. "I wonder what he wanted." Outside the kitchen, Kyoya leaned against the door. He smirked to himself.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pushing off the door, he silently walked out of Music Room #3. "For someone so smart, you're awfully oblivious. I wonder how long it'll take you to realize just what exactly I want from you Kea."

* * *

Again, I am eternally sorry for the long wait. In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter and my other stories while I work towards updating them, hopefully within this month. Granted, there are only a few days left, but I can still try. And please don't forget to review! It really does mean the world to me when you do. Till next time!


	7. Chapter 6

Wow. I did _not_ expect to be able to get two chapters out in a week. But, that's what happens when i finally have some time off. Anyways, thank you all for the views and reviews! It means the world to me. On that note, here are the review responses!

 _To **Thetroublewithexes** :_ No you didn't miss it. I left in on a cliffhanger on purpose. It's meant to keep you guessing. Yeah, yeah. I know I'm evil. I've heard it before.  
 _To **crazy1person2you3been4warned** :_ Thanks! Here's the next chapter for you!  
 _To **BeckaBeMaia** :_ Yes, yes he is. And now the wait is over! :)  
 _To **SmexyBananas** :_ Weeeellll... we'll just have to see, won't we? And by we I mean you, cause I know who I want her to be with.  
 _To **gothicpoet0615** :_ Can I just say you're amazing? You're amazing. I liked - no - I LOVED your reaction to Kea's reaction to Renge. Her reaction is entirely based on mine, though mine was a little more violent and had a tad bit more swearing. Okay. A _lot_ more swearing, mostly consisting of telling her to get a life and leave Kyoya alone. In much more colorful wording though. ;)  
In any case, thank you so much for continuing to review my story, and I am sorry about the long wait.

On that note, I was painting my nails black the other day when I thought to myself "Why not upload a mischievously devious chapter on Halloween?" And thus, this was born! Typed. Written. Uploaded.

Whatever. Enjoy! And don't forget to review!

* * *

 **Chapter VI**

Kea walked through the halls of Ouran. Today was Monday, which meant that all of her classes were in another building halfway across the campus. Thankfully, Monday was notoriously slow at the Host Club, so Kyoya could handle everything by himself. It also helped because, even if she ran, Kea would be late. Depending on if she ran or not, she would be anywhere from five to fifteen minutes late. If she stopped or was stopped, that could skyrocket to forty-five minutes, by which time the Host Club was about half over.

Needless to say, Monday was Kea's day off, and she enjoyed every second of it. This way, she could drum up interest in Haruhi, thus getting her more customers, and knocking off yen from her debt. According to Kea's last calculation, Haruhi had already deducted another 100,000 yen in the month from the Host Club's cherry blossom party, which was quite a lot. She now tied with the twins on requests, who were third after Tamaki and Mitsukuni and Takashi, the Boy Lolita Host's customers almost always splitting their attention between him and Takashi, since they couldn't choose between the cousins.

"Kea-senpai!" Kea looked up to see a bunch of girls waving at her. Plastering on a smile, she walked over to them.

"Hi girls. What's going on?"

"We were wondering if you have any more of those videos. You know. The ones that you filmed not to long ago." Kea shook her head.

"Unfortunately no. We only made a few. However, we now have a website, so, if you want, you can check that out to see if there's anything there you would like to have." The girls' eyes glowed.

"Really?!" Kea nodded.

"Yeah. The Hosts will put things up for auction that they don't want or need, or simply if they want to give things away. Also, you can find virtual picture books of all of the Hosts." Kea pulled her notebook out of her bag, flipping through it. "If I'm not mistaken, Haruhi just had his own put up." Momoka, one of Haruhi's regulars, gasped in excitement.

"Really? I would love to see that!" Kea smirked.

"Well, all you have to do is look up the website, darling. If you'd like, I can-." The ringing of her phone cut her off. "Excuse me." Taking it out, she slid the "Accept" bar, placing the device next to her right ear.

"Yes?" The girls watched anxiously. "Tamaki? What is it?... Whoa whoa! T-Tamaki! Slow down.

"Start from the beginning!" Kea frowned slightly as she listened to an evidently frantic Tamaki. "Uh-huh. Then what happened?... She did? How did they… oh boy."

The girls watching were concerned when Kea held the phone away from her face, staring at it like it was some sort of object she had never seen before. Her lips were pulled down to about her chin exclusively on the left side, while her left eyebrow was raised. Her right eye squinted in proportion. Getting closer, the girls could hear the sounds of a scuffle and shouting coming through the device.

"Um… Kea-senpai?" The brunette sighed, cutting off the call.

"Sorry girls, but I'm afraid I have to go." They nodded.

"We'll see you in class tomorrow, right?" Kea nodded.

"Yeah. I have homeroom and lunch here, and then I'll be at the Host Club until closing. If you girls want, after your appointments, I'll show you how to log onto the website." They grinned.

"Thanks Kea-senpai! We'll see you then!" They ran off, giggling. Kea sighed at them. "So shallow. They are only interested in the looks, not the heart." Kea shook her head, turning so she could run to the Host Club. "Now… to see what this is all about."

As soon as she entered, she was surprised to see that it was completely empty, aside from the Host Club. Kea immediately noticed Hikaru and Kaoru were missing. Kyoya was writing in his book, his pencil moving faster than normal. Mitsukuni looked extremely worried, as did everyone else. Even Renge was present.

"Okay, I'm here." Haruhi turned around, relief written all over her face. Kea walked over, resting a hand on the older girl's shoulder. "Now what exactly happened?" As Kyoya explained, Kea made mental notes.

"So… let me get this straight. Basically Hikaru and Kaoru had a fight in front of everyone, including the guests. This fight escalated till they said they were 'over', and stormed out. You then asked everyone to leave so you guys could sort this out. Do I have that right?" Mitsukuni nodded.

"What are we going to do, Kea-chan?" Kea sighed.

"I don't know, Mitsukuni. All we can hope is that this blows over by tomorrow."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

"Would you hold still?!"

"Stop pulling on my hair then!"

"Stop squirming and I wouldn't be!" The boy huffed, slumping over in the chair. "Thank you." Across from the duo, another figure inspected his makeover job.

"Are you sure this will work?" A smirk pulled up at rose-colored lips as their owner finished with her last client.

"Well… you want it to be convincing, don't you?" Two identical smirks mirrored the first.

"Oh yeah." The trio looked at each other. "This is going to be so much fun."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

"Do you think they've gotten over it?" Kea sat in front of Haruhi in their homeroom. The bespectacled brunette sighed, shrugging.

"I have no idea Haruhi. I guess we'll find out soon enough though. They should be here any time." Just then, a figure appeared on Haruhi's right.

"Hey Haruhi." Everyone looked over. It was Hikaru, but he was definitely… different. Namely… his hair. Kea lifted an eyebrow at him. "Good morning!"

"Um… Hikaru?" He tilted his head.

"Yeah Kea?"

"What's with your hair?" Before he could answer, another figure showed up.

"Good morning Haruhi." Kea's raised eyebrow lifted higher. Kaoru's hair was an electric blue, a stark contrast to his older twin brother's flamingo pink. "Hey Kea."

"H-hey." Kea watched as Hikaru walked to his desk while Kaoru began to talk to Haruhi.

"I was finally able to sleep _all_ by myself last night. But I ended up having a nightmare." Hikaru pulled out his chair. "I dreamt my stylist had dyed my hair pink. It was so garish and ridiculous looking I woke up screaming!" He chuckled to himself as he sat down. Before he could, however…

His chair was tipped, sending him rather painfully to the ground. Kea turned her head to see Hikaru sporting a nonchalant look. Haruhi was shocked. Kaoru was far from pleased.

Turning his head, he pushed Hikaru's chair over, knocking his brother over. Both stood up, blank expressions on their faces. Kea sweatdropped when both picked up a chair… and began throwing it, and anything else they could get their hands on, at each other. Haruhi looked at Kea.

"Guess we've got our answer about whether or not they're over it."

"Yep."

影女王

 _Noontime recess in the refectory. In other words, lunchtime._

Haruhi walked into the cafeteria, looking for the twins. Kea had said to keep an eye on them while she went for help. The female Host could only hope she was getting the Host Club in order to try and sort this mess out. The sounds of arguing snapped Haruhi from her thoughts. The twins were trying to order lunch, but kept changing on account of the other saying the same thing. It went back and forth for at least four different lunch choices before the two were forehead-to-forehead again, growling at each other.

"Amazing. Perfect unison even when fighting."

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about." Haruhi looked to her left. Kea stood there… with then entire Host Club standing around her. Tamaki was the one who had spoken, and continued to speak.

"I can't believe the two of you are still fighting. You're a disgrace to the Host Club." Whispers began to flutter around the cafeteria. Mitsukuni stepped forward, obviously going to try to diffuse the situation.

"We've had enough of this. You're both to blame for this fight." He pulled out a cake. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan, I want you make up and go halvzies on this cake, kay?" The shortest Host lowered the cake, suddenly torn about having to split the strawberry. Kea leaned her forehead on her fingertips, groaning.

' _I knew it was a bad idea to let Mitsukuni try to diffuse this! These two aren't going to listen to him.'_ Sure enough, she was right. The background behind Hikaru and Kaoru began to darken, the word "irritation" circling around in kanji. Takashi slid in, picked up Mitsukuni, and slid out.

"You're just making it worse. Leave them alone." Tamaki perked up, seeing Haruhi. Kea sighed, walking over to her friend as well.

"I was worried about those two so I followed them. That and Kea told me to make sure they didn't kill each other before she got back." Kea chuckled.

"Thanks for that Haruhi. Sorry to put you on the spot like that." Haruhi shrugged.

"It's fine. I always bring a box lunch, so it's not like I was going to eat here in the first place." Kea tilted her head.

"Really? That's cool." Haruhi blinked in surprise.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Back home I used to make myself lunches all the time." Haruhi smiled.

"You must be pretty good then." Kea chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Well… I wouldn't say that. My family did like it whenever I cooked though."

"I DON'T CARE IF MY BOXED LUNCH IS AN EMBARRASSING HEART SHAPE! I WILL EAT IT!" Kea jumped back as Tamaki started yelling. Shaking her head, she scoffed slightly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but, it's obvious that your fantasizes are completely incoherent." Kea and Kyoya said at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise, before laughing softly. "Sorry." They laughed again at them talking at the same time.

"Here." Kea looked down, seeing Kyoya hold out a tray to her. "My treat." Kea took the tray.

"Uh… thanks." Kyoya motioned with his head for her to join him at a relatively secluded corner of the lunchroom. She followed him, sitting down in the chair next to him. From here, they could see everything that was going on, but still have a private conversation. "So… what's the occasion?" Kyoya was about to answer, but the sound of a plate breaking cut him off. Looking up…

Both saw the twins throwing stuff at each other. Kea groaned, slamming her forehead onto the table. Thankfully, Kyoya had moved her tray before she faceplanted in a plate of Cheesy Arrabbiata over Linguine. He tilted his head at her mumbles.

"Run that by me one more time?" Kea turned her head so she could look up at him.

"I cannot believe they're doing this again." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow.

"Again?" Kea sighed deeply, lifting her head. She had a nice red mark in the middle of her forehead. "You've got a little, uh…" Kyoya pointed to his forehead.

"If this-" She motioned to the twins who were intent on killing each other and/or destroying the entire cafeteria. "Continues any longer, it's only going to get worse." Kyoya nodded.

"I see. But what did you mean by 'again'?"

"They did the same thing in homeroom today." Kea twirled a bit of Linguine around her fork, sticking it in her mouth. Chewing it, she quickly took a sip of water before she spoke. "Wow that's spicy." Kyoya chuckled.

"What's the matter? Can't handle it?"

"On the contrary, actually. I love it." Kea put another forkful in her mouth. "What's this called?"

"Cheesy Arrabbiata over Linguine." Kea nodded, shoving another forkful in. Kyoya laughed to himself. "The way you're eating, I'd say you haven't eaten all day."

"I haven't." she mumbled around a mouthful. She swallowed, taking another sip of water. "I didn't eat anything last night either." Kyoya's eyes widened.

"And why not?"

"Too busy worrying about those two." She nodded to the twins, who had given up on throwing things at each other and were stalking away in opposite ways. Kyoya narrowed his eyes, taking a bite of his own food: Crispy Plantain Crusted Crab Cake with Mango Habanero Salsa. He chewed slowly, thinking.

"That's not healthy, Kea." Kea lifted an eyebrow.

"And your habit of staying up until sunrise is?" Kyoya choked on his water, coughing.

"How… how did you know that?" Kea sighed in disbelief.

"Stealing your sister's makeup may make your skin look like it's fine, but your eyes are consistently bloodshot." Kyoya stared at Kea in disbelief. She shrugged, taking a bite of her Cookie Dough Cheesecake. "I'm not your assistant for nothing, Kyoya. I notice things." Kyoya sighed, shaking his head.

"I hate to admit it, but I've underestimated you." Kea chuckled, eating another bite of cheesecake.

"I get that a lot." Kyoya sighed, watching as the twins stalked out of the cafeteria in opposite ways of the other.

"Do you have a theory about what's going on with those two?" Kea put her fork down.

"I would answer, but I know you already have one, so I want to hear yours first." Kyoya growled slightly. "Acting like an animal will get you put in the doghouse, kid." He lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Kid? I'm fairly certain I'm three years older than you."

"Two years and ten months, actually." Kyoya rolled his eyes.

"I'm starting to think you just do that to annoy me."

"Nah. I do it to make you look incompetent." He glowered at her. "I'm still waiting, you know." He huffed.

"Haruhi made a comment in the Host Club yesterday." Kea glanced at him, chewing her cheesecake. "She didn't mean anything about it, but she said that Hikaru came off as more mischievous than his brother. It sparked the fight." Kea sighed.

"I see. Well, we'd better get to the Host Club before it starts."

"Why?"

"I highly doubt fighting twins will bring in many customers. If you want to keep it in business, I would think that _you_ would want to get this resolved as soon as possible." Kyoya nodded, picking up his piece of cheesecake. "I thought you didn't like sweets." He smirked.

" _Burned_ sweets, Kea." She snickered to herself.

"Gotcha." She grabbed her piece as well, leaving the plate.

"Are you going to-?" Kyoya got his answer when Kea took a bite of the piece from her hand, swallowing.

"What?" she mumbled around the confection, her tone perplexed.

"Nothing."

影女王

Contrary to the normal atmosphere of the Host Club, it was very gloomy. Tamaki was sprawled out at the head of the table, sighing in exhaustion. Kyoya was methodically typing away at the calculator, figuring out the cost of the damage the twins had caused. Takashi and Mitsukuni sat together, completely silent as Mitsukuni gently played with Usa-chan's arms. Finally, Haruhi and Kea were sitting together, Haruhi staring at nothing, Kea writing fervently in her notebook. Each person present had a cup of tea sitting in front of them.

"Looking at the numbers…" Kea looked up at Kyoya. "If this situation isn't resolved, I'm afraid we're going to have to stop offering our 'Brotherly Love' package. We're down one pair of loving brothers."

' _Can't you think of people as something other than tools to further your own interests?_ ' Kea thought.

"Oh! Haruhi!" She looked at him. "I just want you to know there's no reason for you to feel responsible."

' _There's that signature smirk again.'_

"Even though it was your tactless comment, that started this whole feud between the twins in the first place. Right?" Haruhi sweatdropped, while Kea mentally glowered, knowing actually glaring wouldn't improve the situation.

' _That jackass. He said that simply so she_ would _feel responsible!'_

"It's weird for Hika-chan and Kao-chan to be fighting like this. It's never happened before." Takashi nodded in agreement with his cousin.

"They've never fought before?" asked Haruhi.

"I've known… Hika-chan and Kao-chan since we were in preschool. We weren't in the same year so I never really got to talk to them. But I remember that the two of them _always_ played together." At the head of the table, Tamaki looked out the window.

"Yeah that's true." Kea silently closed her notebook, thoroughly interested. "I mean I've only known the twins since they were in middle school… but they, definitely stood out." From the glassed over look in Tamaki's eye, he was remembering something in the past. "It seemed like they kept everyone at a distance except each other." A nostalgic smile pulled at Tamaki's lips.

"Believe it or not they were even more warped back then. When you stop and think about it, maybe this fight is a good thing for them. Maybe it means that the twins are expanding their horizons a bit." Tamaki crossed his arms, his smile turning nostalgic to happy. "We should just leave them alone and let them work it out." Haruhi looked out the window at the setting sun.

' _Who knows? Maybe it is a turn for the better. But if this really is their first fight, they probably need someone to tell them when it's time to give in and call it quits. And if they've never fought before, would they even know how to make up?'_ Meanwhile, Kea stared into her tea, a finger absentmindedly rubbing the outside of the cup…

A slight smirk pulling ever so slightly at her lips.

影女王

Tamaki hunched over, his entire body twitching and covered in a cold sweat. Kyoya wrote in his notebook. Takashi and Haruhi stood silently, watching. Watching what, you ask?

Watching the twins throw everything in sight and/or reach at each other, which ended up being everything in Music Room #3. Thankfully, the Host Club was closed for the day, having not been opened since the brothers started fighting. If you're wondering where Mitsukuni is, he was sitting on top of the massive pile, holding Usa-chan. Kea was nowhere in sight.

"Ugh!" Tamaki straightened, holding his left arm while using his left hand to support his head as he tried to keep himself under control. "Don't you guys think that maybe, it's time you give up all this fighting? It's driving me insane!" The last part was more or less whispered, but everyone else still heard it.

"What'd you say? It's driving _you_ insane! Ugh, you've got to be kidding me! How do you think I feel right now!?" Hikaru ducked his head before speaking again.

"Everytime I look in the mirror I see _his_ face! I'm sick and tired of constantly being mistaken for you Kaoru! The truth is… I hate your guts!" Kaoru frowned.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." He reached inside his uniform. "In fact I hate you so much I bought _this!_ " He pulled out a very distinctive object. "Beelzenef the Curse Doll!" Tamaki screamed in horror. Kaoru held up a permanent marker.

"I'm going to complete the curse, Hikaru. I'm going to write your name on his back." Hikaru gritted his teeth. "From this day forward you're going to experience nothing, but misfortune and sorrow!" Kaoru shouted as he wrote on Beelzenef's back. What happened next wasn't expected.

Haruhi ran out… and hit both of the twins on the head.

"Would you guys knock it off!?" She grabbed Beelzenef from Kaoru. "What do you think you're doing!? You don't bring something like this into a petty fight! Both of you are at fault here but what's really sad is that you brought everyone else around you into your big mess!" She glowered at the twins.

"Now apologize to each other! If you don't make up right now I'm never going to let you come over to my house! Have I made myself clear!?" The twins stared up at her in shock...

Before identical, mischievous and self-satisfied smiles grew at their faces. They hummed in satisfaction. Haruhi, on the other hand, was lost.

"So then what you're saying Haruhi is that if we make up we can come over to your place?" they asked in unison while circling her. Coming around to her back, they hooked an arm around each other's shoulder…

Put a hand on a hip…

And crossed a leg…

Mirroring the other perfectly. Haruhi looked at both twins before turning the curse doll over. On his back was written…

 _BLANK_. Haruhi screamed in horror upon realizing that everything had been nothing more than a gag. The twins highfived, before hugging each other.

"I'm so sorry, Kaoru. Even though I was just following our script, I said such awful things to you! I'm not fit to be your brother!" Hikaru cried as he held Kaoru close.

"Don't say that, Hikaru! I was so worried! I couldn't live with myself if I ever thought I'd hurt you!" Kaoru sobbed as he cupped Hikaru's face.

"Kaoru I'll never let you go again!"

"Hikaru!" The Host Club paled at the realization they had been had. They were snapped out of it when Beelzenef slipped from Haruhi's hand.

"You've gotta be kidding!?" Mitsukuni was sliding up and down, waving his arms frantically as he freaked out. "You mean you guys were faking it this whole time!?" Tamaki fell on his face, twitching. Haruhi was on her hands and knees, shock and despair written all over her face. Takashi and Kyoya were the only ones who were still standing.

"We didn't have anything else to do. We were bored!"

' _They totally fooled me!'_ Haruhi thought despondently. _'Now I_ have _to let them over to my house sometime!'_

"That reminds me…" Haruhi looked over her shoulder. Panic was written all over her face. Hikaru and Kaoru weren't looking at her. Instead, they looked over their shoulders, cupping a hand around their mouth.

"Hey Kea!" If possible, everyone paled further than they did the last time. "Did you get all of that?"

"YES!" Kea came running out of the back. She was wearing her normal school outfit. A huge grin split her face as she made a beeline for the twins.

" _KEA!?"_ Everyone yelled. She didn't look at them, instead jumping on Hikaru, Kaoru jumping on her. Hikaru swung them around in circles, all three of them cackling in glee. They momentarily stopped when Hikaru fell to the floor, but they continued soon enough. Kea and Kaoru got off of him, sitting up and letting Hikaru do the same.

"So? How were we?"

"You two were amazing!" Kea's entire face was taken up with her grin. "All I have to do is edit out that little part about Hikaru mentioning the script, and that'll make the makeup scene all the more emotional!" Kea rolled on her back, her legs and arms pumping the air. Thankfully, she was wearing her pant suit uniform.

Everyone could only stare in horror as the trio regained their feet, joined hands, and began chanting "We did it! We did it! We did it!" while skipping in a circle. Haruhi fully sunk to the floor, her head spinning. Kyoya dropped his pencil, his mouth agape. Takashi's eyes were wide, and Mitsukuni was collapsed on the floor. Kyoya growled at Kea.

"How long did it take you to come up with this?" Kea hummed, tapping her chin.

"Well, Hikaru called me last Saturday night. I wrote the script the next day when I went over to their house, so…" she shrugged. "A couple hours?" She grinned. "Not to worry, I took all expenses into account."

"But-."

"Everything the twins threw at each other were silicon replicas of the real thing. Here! Look." Taking a vase out of the mountain, she slammed it on the ground. Instead of shattering, it bounced around the room until landing at Kyoya's feet. He stopped it with a foot, still staring at her. She giggled.

"Besides… wasn't it you that said we needed more money making items?" Kaoru hugged Kea around the waist, while Hikaru looped his arms around her shoulders. "I thought making a film about the twins doing the impossible, fighting, would be huge. After all, the last one was a huge success." Blowing a kiss at him, she winked at the subtle blush that stained his cheeks before turning to the twins. "C'mon guys, let's get that dye out of your hair." Tamaki was barely able to lift his head up to stare at the cackling twins an Assistant Manager.

' _Twins, and Kea, with too much time on their hands…'_ Both twins and Kea pulled down an eyelid while sticking their tongues out.

' _Are the devil.'_

影女王

Kyoya refrained from growling as girls flocked into the Host Club earlier than normal. Thankfully, everything was set up, so that wasn't the issue. No, that wasn't the issue at all. The issue was that all the girls were surrounding Kea and the twins. Discretely, the rest of the Host Club crept closer to hear what was going on.

"I'm so glad you two made up!" a girl said to Hikaru and Kaoru. Their hair was back to normal, but both held something in their hands behind their back. They looped arms around the other, smiling.

"We were actually never mad at each other." Hikaru told her. Kaoru shook his head.

"See, we really wanted to do another movie, but we couldn't come up with a script. So we asked Kea for help." The girls asked.

"You mean they were acting?" Kea nodded, hugging her notebook to her chest, but not self-consciously.

"Yeah. Only we three knew it was a ruse." The girls gasped again.

"Why didn't you tell the others?" Kea smiled at the speaker. It was Chidori.

"Well, we had to make it realistic. If the others knew it was fake, then they wouldn't have let it go for as long as it did. I wanted to make sure the twins were in their natural element." This time, instead of gasping, the girls squealed.

"You're amazing, Kea! I never could have come up with a script like that! How do you know the twins so well?" She giggled, looking over at the twins.

"Simple." The trio said in unison. "All of us are devils when we want to be."

影女王

Azamuki leaned against the wall. He winked at some passing girls, making a few swoon. A couple just looked away in disgust. He frowned to himself.

' _Ever since that Suou guy joined, girls haven't looked twice at me!'_ His frown deepened. _'I know sis is going after Kea, but I want Tamaki to suffer. I don't get what's so special about him anyways. He's not even fully Japanese!'_

The door next to him opened, snapping him from his thoughts. Azamuki entered the Black Magic Club, narrowing his eyes in an effort to see. Candelabras all around were suddenly lit, making him blink in pain. A cloaked figure approached him.

"Well? Was she there?"

"Unfortunately no." Azamuki growled. Reaching out, he grabbed Nekozawa by the throat.

"Then tell me why I shouldn't snap your neck."

"Because I know something!" he choked out. Azamuki loosened his grip, letting Nekozawa step back.

"Explain… while you still can."

"It seems that this girl-."

"Kea."

"Kea, is very close to the Hitachiin twins." Azamuki's eyes widened.

"But those two idiots were just fighting!"

"It seems it was all a ruse." Nekozawa lifted a Beelzenef Curse Doll. On the back was written "Blank" in Kaoru's handwriting. "When Kaoru-san bought this from me, he said it was to curse his brother. However, as you can see, that was a lie."

"So how does Kea fit into this?" Azamuki asked, his patience wearing thin. Nekozawa was known for taking as much time as possible to explain his point.

"She was the one who orchestrated the whole thing. She wrote the script the twins followed." Azamuki's eyes widened.

"For what purpose?! What could she gain by having the twins pretend to fight?"

"Simple." Nekozawa flicked an ear of the curse doll. A recording began to play.

"Besides… wasn't it you that said we needed more money making items?" Azamuki smirked, licking his lips at the sound of Kea's voice. It was clear she was talking to someone, most likely Kyoya Ootori. "I thought making a film about the twins doing the impossible, fighting, would be huge. After all, the last one was a huge success." The sounds faded out from there, but Azamuki had heard enough.

"I see. Thank you Nekozawa. If I have need of your services again, I'll be sure to call." Nekozawa nodded, bowing to Azamuki as he left. Once the door closed, the cloaked boy breathed a hefty sigh.

"I'm the leader of the Black Magic Club, and even _I_ am scared by him." Outside, Azamuki dialed a number, lifting the phone to his ear. It rang twice before the called picked up.

"Yes?"

"Kea hasn't met Nekozawa yet." A growl sounded through the device.

"So what's the good news?" Azamuki sighed, walking out of Ouran Academy.

"There isn't."

"What are you talking about!? Surely something good came of this!"

"It seems that the fight between the twins was a fake. They were acting." He could practically hear her eyes widening.

"Who came up with the script? Those two dimwits couldn't have possibly done it, and none of the Host Club was in on it."

"That's the worse news. The one who came up with the script… was Kea." Azamuki held the phone away from his ear as his sister ranted. He sighed again, knowing she wouldn't stop for two hours. If he was lucky. "Look, sis."

"What!?"

"Maybe we need to stop being subtle." That quieted her down. "It's obvious that Kea's outsmarting us at every turn so far. Subtle isn't working."

"What about her side?"

"From what I can tell, it's not bothering her."

"But the blade was poisoned."

"I know. But somehow it's not affecting her." Ayanokouji sighed through the phone. Azamuki heard her bed creak.

"So how do we go about this?"

"Well, you can come back to school for starters. I think you've been 'sick' long enough."

"True. Alright. I'll come to school tomorrow. But how do we get Kea to come to us?"

"We don't." A sick smirk twisted Azamuki's lips. "That's the whole point of not being subtle. _We_ go to _her_."

* * *

By the way, I've had Cheesy Arrabbiata over Linguine, and it is goooooooood. You can vary how spicy you want it, but it is yummy! *licks lips* And Cookie Dough Cheesecake, which is undoubtedly one of my favorite desserts. As for Kyoya's food, I've never had it, but I've heard it's good, so what the hell.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! Thank you all! *blows kiss* Happy Halloween!

OH! If you can tell me who else has black nails, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you. Don't put it in a review though. Send me a PM. That way no one can cheat. ;} Thank you!


	8. Chapter 7

HI guys! I just wanted to say thank you. Since you've been reviewing, I've gotten the drive to write back! Of course, part of that is me updating, but still. I really couldn't do this without you, so, from the bottom of my heart, _**thank you**_.

By the way, I've received some PMs about this, so allow me to clear some things up.  
Kea is _younger_ than Haruhi. In the anime, Haruhi is _**15** _ at the beginning of the series. Now that they are leading up to summer, she is _**16**_. At the beginning of the story, Kea is **_14_**. Now, she is _**15**_.  
Another thing people are confused about are their heights. While Haruhi is older, Kea is taller. According to Ouran Wiki, Haruhi is 5'1". According to me, Kea is 5'8" _without_ her heels, which puts her seven inches taller than Haruhi. So, to recap,

 **Haruhi** is 16 and 5 feet, 1 inch tall.  
 **Kea** is 15 and 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

Hope that clears things up. Now, on to the review responses.  
 _To **BeckaBeMaia** :_ No problem! I'm glad you're liking the story, and I hope your Halloween went well!  
 _To **gothicpoet0615** :_ I don't know what I'd do without you. Seriously. Your reviews are the lifeblood of this story, and I'm not exaggerating on that. As for Nekozawa being afraid of Azamuki, I had that planned from the start.  
Don't you worry. The Host Club _will_ find out what Ayanokouji's plan is, and they _will_ deal with her. You're just going to have to wait a little longer, my dear. In the mean time, please enjoy this chapter!

I will warn you though. This first part has descriptions of the injury inflicted on Kea. Some of you had asked to know what happened in the room, and this is the lead up. If you read the previous chapter, then you know about the blood and stuff. Kea _was_ severely injured, and, because of that, there _are_ mentions of blood and stuff. If you don't like that, then skip to the first time skip icon ( ***/*\\*/*\\*** ) You'll be fine after that.

That said, please enjoy! And please, _please_ , **_please_** , _**PLEASE**_ review. Thank you! ㈵6

* * *

 **Chapter VII**

Kea hissed as she pulled off her shirt. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the white garment, frowning at the stain on the left side. She tossed it onto the ground with a huff, walking over to the mirror. With a shaking hand, she brushed her fingertips along her side. The wound she had received during the physical exam was healing, but it was extremely slow going. That was to be expected though, considering the blade that had wounded her was coated in a toxin.

"I wonder what Ayanokouji's endgame is." Kea muttered to herself. Her eyes clouded over in thought. "What could she gain by injuring me? What does she hope to achieve?"

The night after the exam, she had called the board, asking them which nurse attended to Haruhi. After getting a name, Chizuru Akihiro, she asked for her to be sent to her dorm room. Chizuru was very compliant. Though she had a bit of remorse about it, Kea did bribe the woman with a hefty sum of money (in dollars, not yen) for her silence on the matter.

Once the agreement was made, Chizuru had stitched Kea's side back up. The procedure lasted two, excruciatingly long and painful hours. In the end, it was worth it, though, by the time it was over, Kea had almost passed out from pain and blood loss. Chizuru was very well aware of the pain Kea was in, and gave her a numbing drink, one Kea gratefully took. In the past month, Kea ensured that only Chizuru knew the extent of Kea's wound…

Including her blood poisoning.

The toxin that the blade had been coated in wasn't meant to kill Kea. Instead, it was a poison specialized for slowing the healing process, ensuring the victim would die of blood loss. And, for the past month, Kea had felt the effects of the poison. It was creeping through her system, hindering her body from healing the gaping gash in her side. But, thanks to Chizuru's masterful job of suturing, the wound stayed closed, despite the occasional stabbing pain when she stretched her skin too far. After a bleeding incident here and there, Kea learned to wrap her side in bandages.

Speaking of those, Kea winced as she undid the butterfly closures, unwrapping her midsection. The discolored white strips pooled at her feet. The cerulean-eyed brunette sighed to herself, dragging her fingers just outside the stitches, frowning at the sight of the discolored skin and pronounced purple veins running up and down her side. Just then, two knocks sounded at the door.

"Come in." The door opened enough to let the familiar figure in. "Hey Chizuru-san."

"Hello, Miss Kea. How are you healing?"

"Not much better than last week. It seems the poison is spreading." Chizuru frowned, walking over to the girl. She kneeled next to the teen, inspecting the scar. Kea watched her face as she inspected the healing wound.

"You're right." Chizuru sighed, standing. She walked over to her bag, taking out a fresh roll of bandages and a tube of soothing cream. Kea stood still, sighing to herself as Chizuru repeated the process she had already done four times before.

"Why do you think it's spreading so far?"

"Do you want my opinion as a doctor… or as a friend?"

"Both, if you don't mind." The woman chuckled softly, lifting her chocolate brown eyes to look into Kea's cerulean ones.

"That's good, cause they're the same."

"And they are?"

"You've been moving too much." Kea lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe you should consider taking a break from visiting the Host Club."

"Chizuru, I know you know I'm not a client."

"I realize that, Kea-san. But you must realize that the continued exertion of your body is preventing you from chasing the toxins from your body. If you want to heal more quickly, you must not walk around as much."

"I can't help it that my classes are all over the place."

"Who else knows how badly you've been hurt?"

"Only you." Chizuru stared up at Kea, shock written all over her face. "I don't want a lot of people knowing. It'll only cause for more problems." The woman huffed, planting her hands on her hip.

"Can't you at least tell Miss Fujioka? I'm sure he'll help you."

"Haruhi can't keep a secret to save her life. As much as I trust her, I can't tell her about this."

"And why not?"

"Because she would go straight to the Host Club… all of whom have reputations to loose. Especially Tamaki." Chizuru sighed, shaking her head.

"I suppose that's true." Kea looked down, brushing her fingers over the bandages as Chizuru picked up the old ones.

"Even I know how much a scandal it would cause if word got out that a student was wounded on campus, during a physical exam no less." Kea sighed, taking her pajamas from Chizuru. She let the woman put the shirt on her so she wouldn't strain her side. Chizuru patted Kea's shoulder.

"I left a bunch of antitoxin on your desk. I want you to take one vial every meal, okay? It'll help diffuse the poison in your blood." Kea nodded, smiling softly at the woman, even though she was secretly dreading having to drink the horrible tasting medicine.

"Thank you, Chizuru." Kea turned around, staring at her reflection. "You haven't told anyone about this, have you?"

"No. I've bought everything I've used on you with the money you gave me." Kea nodded.

"Thank you. I mean it when I say I don't want anyone else knowing about this." Chizuru bowed to Kea, picking up her bag. As she grabbed the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder.

"You know Kyoya-sama will figure out something's wrong."

"I know. He's already suspicious, so I don't doubt he'll confront me about it sooner rather than later." Chizuru chuckled. "Don't worry, Chizuru. I won't let him know you've been helping me."

"Thank you, Kea-san. Goodnight. And try to get some sleep." With that, Chizuru left. Kea didn't do anything, instead continuing to look over her form in the mirror.

 _'My skin has definitely paled in the past few months. No… in the past few weeks.'_ Her eyes narrowed. _'I'm starting to get bags under my eyes as well.'_ "Maybe the poison is taking a bigger toll on me than I thought." Sighing, Kea stripped of her dress pants, pulling on her flannel pajama ones.

"I could always sit down in the Club instead of walking around, I guess."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Tamaki looked up, grinning when he saw Kea. Calling out her name, he waved her over excitedly. He noticed she deflated slightly, but he didn't think anything of it. She stopped in front of him, looking up at him.

"Yeah?"

"The results came in yesterday for our cosplay today!" Kea sighed, closing her eyes momentarily.

"And?" Tamaki held up a paper, all but shoving it in her face.

"We're doing an Arabian theme!" He laughed as Kea took the paper, reading it. He knew the second her eyes narrowed what she was thinking. "Don't worry. We have your costume in back."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." Tamaki laughed, latching onto her shoulders. He started to push her into the back.

"I told you not to worry! The twins gave me all of your likes and dislikes, so I'm not going to make you wear that dancers outfit again." Kea stopped short, making the taller boy crash into her back. She immediately regretted it, as pain wracked her spine. She hid it by looking over her shoulder at him.

"You… actually listened to them?" Tamaki looked wounded.

"Well, I was the one who asked them." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I didn't like you mad at me, so…" To his surprise, Kea started laughing.

"Thanks Tamaki. That's sweet." He grinned, giving her another, but much more gentle, push towards the changing room.

"Don't, don't mention it. Now hurry up. You're hosting with me today, by the way." Kea nodded.

"Okay." Stepping inside the room, her eyes widened at the outfit. "Wow. I've worn some elaborate things in my life, but good gracious." She shook her head, slowly taking her vest off, placing it beside her on the bench. "He sure doesn't spare any expense for dressing up, that's for sure."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Footsteps sounded through the abandoned front entrance of Ouran Academy. A small figure, dressed in a green blazer and shorts, looked around, trying to get his bearings. He looked up at the massive, red-carpeted staircase that stretched up before him. Taking a deep breath, he began to ascend.

 _'The top floor of the south building.'_ His footsteps, though slow, had a strong purpose to them. _'At the end of the north hallway.'_ He looked up at the massive door, reading the sign above it.

 _'In a music room that's never used.'_ He smiled to himself. _'This is it! This is the place!'_ With a determined nod, he opened the door. Immediately, rose petals flew out to meet him. He fell back in surprise.

"Welcome to the Ouran Host Club." Eight voices chorused. The boy could only stare in shock. Trying to gain some semblance of sanity, he looked over each and every person, starting with the one on the far left. This one was tall, very tall.

He wore no shirt. Instead, a scarf was draped over his left shoulder and fastened to his waist by a brown belt. This belt also held up his purple pants and a very real-looking dagger. On his arms were golden gauntlets. A purple turban was wrapped around his head, and he wore no shoes.

The boy standing directly in front of him, in all honesty, kind of looked like a girl. His brown eyes were a lot larger than most, giving him a feminine look. His outfit didn't help any, either. He was dressed as a servant, holding a golden teapot. A cream pashmina was held to his head by a soft red tie. His tunic was cream as well, with a burgundy coloring on the edges of the sleeves, and a pink scarf with golden tassels was wrapped around his neck. His pants and his shoes couldn't be seen on account of the third figure squatting in front of him.

This boy looked no older than he was. He wore a pink scarf around his blonde head, the fabric barely keeping up the wrap that was supposed to go over his head. His shirt was a dark blue in color with orange cuffs. His pants were red, and he wore light bluish-grey tipped shoes.

The boy standing in the back was also dressed as a servant, though one of higher standing. He wore a very light purple turban, which matched the pashmina that was draped over his left shoulder, like the boy on the far left. Unlike the boy on the left, he was wearing a long-sleeve, black tunic that matched his pants. He also wore glasses, and held a basket of fruit in his right hand.

The next two were obviously twins. Their faces were identical. Each wore a dark blue pashmina held to their head by a golden band. Underneath their open-faced, light green-with-dark-green-siding shirts was a golden chest piece. They wore orange pants and light green, pointed sandals. But it was the figures in the middle that took the cake.

The first the observer saw was the male, who was reclining on a bed of furs. His blonde hair peeked out from underneath his red turban that had a white pashmina hanging from it, as well as two chains with different shaped charms on either side of his head. On his right wrist were several golden bracelets, matching the necklaces around his neck and the ring on his left middle finger. He wore a soft orange-and-red ensemble with a white fabric underneath, giving the impression of royalty. Another white pashmina was around his waist. His shoes were light brown sandals. His outfit was by far the most elaborate of all of them, save maybe the girl that had her arms wrapped around his neck.

Her outfit absolutely screamed royalty. A headdress of burgundy coloring went around her chocolate brown hair, two pieces of translucent dark burgundy fabric hanging at the sides, hiding her ears and accenting her cerulean eyes that sparkled from behind gold-rimmed glasses. The headdress had a red jewel in the middle; from this distance, he couldn't tell if it was real or not. On her shoulders were fabric guards with golden embroidery along the edges. A gold bracelet was on each bicep and wrist, an almost black translucent scarf connected to each pair, draping over the boy's shoulders that she had her arms around. From here, he could only see a bit of her torso and pants: a formfitting, almost corset-like burgundy top with golden embroidery and golden coin-like charms, and shiny, burgundy, loose pants that had golden sides and hugged her ankles. On her feet were strappy golden heels.

 _'I heard that the Host Club likes to dress up, but I never imagined this! And to think that they have a girl with them!'_

"Oh, it's just a kid." He heard one of the twins remark.

"Not only that, it's just a boy." The other one said.

"What's wrong, little boy? Did you come to my palace in search of something?" The voice from the male in the middle made him snap out of his daze. As the blonde held his hand out, the boy stood up, walking into the room.

"A-are you the king of this place?" he asked. The surprise on the blonde's face was obvious. He sighed in delight, slightly creeping the boy out. "W-well are you?"

"Come closer, lost one." The boy stepped forward till he was standing directly in front of the blonde. "What was it you just called me, little boy?"

"The king." He stated. The blonde gasped in dramatic glee. He struck a pose, one hand over his heart, the other on his forehead. In doing so, he kind of threw the girl off of him, but, from what the boy could tell, she expected it, since she wasn't at all surprised. 'How long has she been a member of the Host Club?'

"The king! Yes! I am the king of the Ouran Host Club!" The blonde's purple eyes had stars in them. "Long live the Host King!" The boy took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

"I'm an elementary 5th year, Shiro Takaoji!" The blonde pressed his fingers to his cheeks as he stared at Shiro. Lifting a hand, he pointed his finger directly at the peculiar male. "I want the Host Club King to take me on as an apprentice!"

No one expected that. Blushing in surprise, the blonde once more touched his cheeks as his eyes swam with excitement. Grinning wildly, he hugged the small boy. Shiro squawked in surprise.

"Of course!" The blonde set Shiro on his feet. "From now on, I, Tamaki Suou, will take this little boy on as my apprentice!" Shiro nodded.

"When can we begin?"

"Tomorrow. Be here after school ends."

"I will." Shiro nodded again, leaving the Host Club. As he closed the door, he smirked to himself. 'Now that I'm the King's apprentice, I'll be able to tell her.'

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

"ARE YOU NUTS!?" Kea screamed at Tamaki. The Host Club had closed, and now Kea was free to speak her mind. She still hadn't changed out of her outfit. No one had, actually, since she had started wailing on Tamaki the second the doors closed. Everyone was standing off to the side, not wanting to get involved.

"But Kea! I have never before been called the King of the Host Club, never mind having someone want to be my apprentice!"

"But he's a kid! He's probably not even ten!"

"Actually, 5th year elementary students are usually around the age of twelve." Kea fixed her glare on Kyoya. He immediately ducked his head, remembering why it wasn't a good idea to be the target of her anger.

"Regardless…" she ground out. "I don't think it's a wise idea to bring a child in to all of this."

"What's wrong with it?" the twins asked simultaneously. All flinched back as Kea groaned snarled as she threw her arms up in the air, her scarves flying with the force of it.

"I give up! You are all just… GAH!" She stomped to the back. "Call me when it's important. And NOT before." Tamaki shivered.

"What's her problem?" Kyoya shrugged.

"She's American. What are we supposed to do-OW!" Everyone whipped their head around to see Kyoya holding his own. Looking at the ground, they saw a blunt pencil bouncing on the tile.

"Diss klironomiá mou kai páli, kai tha sas deíxo ó, ti éna thymoméno amerikanikí gynaíka boreí na kánei, Ootori! **1** " The twins looked at each other, shrugging.

"Anyone care to translate?"

"Nope." Came the instantaneous answer from everyone.

"Neither do we."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Shiro stared up at Tamaki as he entertained a young woman. As Tamaki had instructed, he had come back the next day. Thankfully, everyone was dressed normally. Shiro wasn't too keen on wearing a ridiculous outfit. On the other side of the room, Haruhi sweatdropped as she watched Shiro's 'training'.

"Don't you think it's weird he's having the kid observe him up close like that?"

"There is a theory that people are considered more beautiful the closer they are viewed. Tamaki seems to live by that theory." Kyoya stated, a slight laugh in his voice. He turned his head, writing in his notebook. _'And it's certainly true for Kea. Gai! Don't think that!'_

"Well! Let's leave them alone." He could feel Haruhi's quizzical stare. Thankfully, the light was reflecting on his glasses, hiding his expression. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter.

 _'Damn. Ever since I cornered her that day, I can't get her out of my mind!'_ His pencil moved faster, his ears involuntarily hearing everything that went on while his thoughts went haywire. _'What is wrong with me? Why do I feel so worried about her?'_

Kea hadn't come to the Host Club that day. Yesterday, she had hosted with Tamaki, and, from what Kyoya could tell, she quite enjoyed it. Of course, considering she had acted in a blockbuster movie, he didn't doubt she was putting on a show for Tamaki's benefit. It was this belief that set Kyoya's heart at ease, another disturbing thought.

 _'Why would I care? Yes, she's my assistant, but that doesn't mean that I own her. After all, she joined the Host Club of her own free will. It's not like anything's keeping her here.'_ His eyes narrowed behind his eyes.

 _'Why do I feel like this about her?'_

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

 _'Stupid Host Club! Stupid Tamaki!'_ Shiro ran out of Ouran, trying to fight back the tears. He ground his teeth together as he ran, forcing the thoughts of the Host Club from his mind.

"What's wrong kid?" A soft voice stopped Shiro in his tracks. Turning around, he saw a girl leaning against the wall, one leg propped up, her arms crossed under her breasts. Her eyes were closed, and her outfit was different, but he recognized her hair and glasses. "Host Club not what you thought it was?"

"You… you're that girl from yesterday." She chuckled, opening her eyes to reveal cerulean-irises. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a Host too." She snorted harshly, surprising him.

"As if. I'm actually the Assistant Manager, but that's beside the point." She pushed off the wall, walking over to crouch before him. Taking a handkerchief out of her pants pocket, she wiped off the remaining marker from his cheek. "Let me guess: Renge tried to turn you into a Host Type, am I right?" Shiro nodded.

"If you're talking about that crazy French girl, then yeah." The brunette in front of him winced, grimacing slightly.

"Sorry about her. She's not exactly sane."

"Tell me about it. She said I was the "Naughty Type", whatever that means." The girl chuckled.

"Actually, that suits you." She sighed. "Again, beside the point." Shiro ducked his head as she stood. "You look like you could use a cup of tea." He looked up to see she had extended a hand to him. "Care to join me?" Shiro fervently shook his head, crossing his arms for effect.

"No way! I'm not going back to the Host Club!" He looked up in surprise when she started laughing. It sounded like the soft peals of bells, making him blush.

"I was talking about my dorm room, actually." Shiro blushed, averting his gaze.

"Oh. I… I suppose."

"Come on then." She held a hand out again. "Don't worry, Shiro. I don't bite." He glanced at her when she said his name. It was… gentle. Motherly almost.

"O, Okay." He took her hand, letting her lead him away from the south building. "By the way, what's your name?" She looked down at him, her eyes soft.

"Kea. My name is Kea."

影女王

"Here you go." Shiro took the cup from Kea. This one wasn't nearly as elaborate as the ones they had in the Host Club, but it was still fancy. "In case you were wondering, I brought this set with me from America." He lifted his brown eyes to meet her cerulean ones. "So don't break it, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." He took a sip of the tea. "This is good." Kea smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"Is this an American tea?"

"Imported, but, yes." Shiro nodded.

"It's really good. What is it called?"

"Caramel Almond Ameretti. It's my favorite." Kea smiled, taking a sip of the steaming drink. Shiro smiled slightly as well, drinking the tea. "So…" Kea started as both set the teacups down. "Who's the lucky girl?"

Shiro recoiled in the chair. The movement carried him back until he and the chair crashed to the ground. He rolled off, rubbing his head while staring wide-eyed at Kea, who hadn't moved a muscle. Unless you count the muscles in her face, which were twitching on account of the amused smirk on her face. She wasn't fazed by his reaction in the slightest, since she had expected it. When he opened his mouth, she spoke first.

"Don't bother denying it. If you didn't like anyone, you wouldn't have fallen over like that." Shiro shut his mouth with a clack, looking away. "So… who is she?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

"Then tell me why you ran out of the Club with marker and bandages all over you." Shiro snorted.

"It was that psycho French girl-."

"Renge."

"And those homo twins-."

"Hikaru and Kaoru, and they're just really affectionate towards each other." Shiro gaped at her.

"You mean you accept the way they act!? It's totally homo! Besides that, it's insectuous!" Kea snorted in amusement.

"The proper word is 'incestuous', and I just think they're affectionate."

"How can you see that?!"

"Do you have siblings, Shiro?"

"Do you?!" he shot back.

"Yep." Kea interlaced her fingers, resting her elbows on her armrests. "Which is why I can understand the twins." Shiro looked down.

"Oh."

"Now pick up the chair." He did. "Sit down." He listened. "Now tell me about the girl."

"Well, her name is Hina Kamishiro, and she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met…"

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

"How did we let them talk us into this?" Haruhi peaked out around a corner.

"It'll be okay, Haru-chan! It was so easy to sneak in!" Mitsukuni peaked out around the parallel corner. "And wearing this uniform I really look like I'm in elementary school!"

"Yeah you do." Haruhi agreed. "I can understand why they wanted you to wear an elementary school uniform. I mean we are sneaking in to an elementary school and you totally fit in Senpai…" Mitsukuni looked over at Haruhi. "What I don't understand is why they made me dress up in this middle school uniform."

Oh! I should probably explain.

You see, after Shiro left the Host Club in a huff and Haruhi explained everything, Tamaki came up with a plan to help Shiro. It involved sneaking into his school to find the girl he liked and see what she liked, so they could help Shiro become the kind of boy she liked. With Shiro's statement the previous day of Mitsukuni looking like an elementary student, he was the obvious choice. However, the rest of the club had also chosen Haruhi to accompany him, despite her being too old to be in elementary school. Which left the middle school uniform, which was conspicuous to say the least.

She was in an elementary school after all.

"Why did he even bother with disguises!? We stick out like a sore thumb!" Behind the two, a door opened to reveal the remainder of the Host Club hiding in the shadows. Tamaki and Hikaru hid next to the door, having the best view.

"Oh there's a reason. A damn good reason." Tamaki chuckled to himself as Mitsukuni dragged Haruhi off by the arm.

"Isn't she the cutest?" the twins gushed.

"Oh! Look at her in that miniskirt! Haruhi looks like a little doll!" Behind Tamaki, Kyoya resisted the urge to slap the blonde upside the head.

"So basically you just wanted to see her dressed up like that." Tamaki sweatdropped, confirming Kyoya's suspicion. _'That idiot.'_ Down the hall, Mitsukuni opened a door.

"This is it! Shiro-chan's classroom!" The duo snuck in. "When I was in elementary school this was my classroom too!" Mitsukuni ran around with his arms out, looking very much like an excited elementary student. Haruhi followed at a more leisurely pace.

"There's no body here." She rested a hand on a desk.

"So the kid's classroom is empty is it?" Haruhi gritted her teeth at the sound of Tamaki's voice.

"This sure takes me back." Hikaru and Kaoru said as they walked in at the head of the group. Kyoya and Tamaki were behind them, with Takashi bringing up the rear. "I wonder if doodles are still on my desk." Kaoru continued.

"Doubtful. The school changes out the desks every year." Haruhi could feel a vein pulsing in her forehead. She started twitching as the Host Club started chatting like they owned the place.

"Hey!" She whisper-yelled. "If you're just going to barge in here like that, then why we'd wear these stupid disguises!?"

"Don't worry about it!" Hikaru said.

"There's no one here to catch us." Kaoru stated. Just then, footsteps sounded in the hall. Haruhi whipped around, panic written all over her face. They all ducked behind a desk. "If the teacher finds us…"

"We'll have a hard time explaining why we snuck in." Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"SHH! Shut up guys!" They all looked at her. "Just keep your lips zipped!" She mimicked the motion of zipping with her fingers across her lips. Tamaki and the twins copied her movement, though their faces were beet red.

 _'Haruhi's the cutest thing I've ever seen!'_ Once the footsteps passed the room, Haruhi peeked out the door. A man in a black suit with black business shoes was walking by, talking with a young woman wearing a plaid, long-sleeve shirt, knee-length grey skirt, white pumps, and a gray clutch slung over her right shoulder at his side. Haruhi tilted her head, trying to figure out why the girl looked familiar.

 _'Focus. I'll think about that later.'_ "It's alright, he's gone. But you guys!" They all stood, looking at her. "We came her to get the scoop on Shiro, so what do you think we should do now?"

"Well, here's something interesting." Everyone looked over to see Kyoya and Mitsukuni looking at a wall covered in pictures.

"What'd you find?" Kyoya simply pointed to a picture. It was a photograph of Shiro playing piano with a young girl. Both were smiling.

"Hey! That's Shiro!"

"So he's in the Classical Music Club."

"He looks like he's enjoying himself." Haruhi was right. Not only was Shiro smiling, but his eyes were alight with joy, and a slight blush stained his cheeks. "It's nice to see him with a smile on his face. I had no idea he could look so sweet."

"Yeah." Tamaki softly agreed. Kyoya led them out of the classroom, heading down a few corridors till they arrived at another room. This one was obviously a music room. A familiar figure sat on a windowsill.

"There he is!" Mitsukuni exclaimed softly. "There's Shiro-chan!" The boy was looking out the window, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked over when a little girl called out to him.

"I'm sorry, but have you been practicing the new piece teacher gave us?"

"The new piece? N-not really."

"If you want I can show it to you! Do, you wanna come play it with me?"

"No thanks. You go ahead. After all, there's only one grand piano. You should use it, Kamishiro." The girl blushed slightly.

"Thank you! I will then. And if you want to join me just let me know." Still smiling, she set up her stuff on the piano. Taking a deep breath, she began to play. As she did, everyone stopped talking, listening to her play. What was most evident was the peaceful, and blissful, smile on Shiro's face. Tamaki looked over as a little girl exited the room.

"Pardon me, mademoiselle." She looked up at him. He offered her a white rose, making the little girl blush. "I've never seen a rose more lovely than you, my dear. Here. This is for you."

"Uh… thank you." She took the rose, blushing prettily. Tamaki smiled softly.

"I was wondering if you could tell me anything about that young lady playing the piano. Do you know her?" The girl nodded.

"That's Hina Kamishiro."

"Her name is Hina?"

"That's right. But you'd better not fall in love with her."

"Why?" Everyone crowded behind Tamaki.

"Didn't you know? Hina has to move away soon. Her dad just got a new job in Germany, so they have to move there at the end of the week." A door opened.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Everyone looked up to see a very angry Shiro. "I want you idiots to leave! Immediately!" Instead, Tamaki picked up the boy, slinging him over his shoulder.

Ignoring his protests, the Host Club King began to walk out, the Host Club following behind him. Hina came out of the room, a worried look on her face. A soft hand on her shoulder looked up. A young woman with deep blue eyes and chocolate brown hair that draped beautifully around her face and shoulders was kneeling next to her. Hina blushed softly, smiling.

"Hi sweetheart." The mysterious young woman's voice was soft as she talked to Hina. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know." Hina looked down the corridor, where the group were fading specks. "Some high school students just came and took Shiro." The young woman looked up, following Hina's gaze. A gentle chuckle rumbled in her throat.

"Don't worry about it, little one. Shiro will be alright." Hina looked back at the teen as she stood.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am." The young woman looked back at Hina, smiling softly. Reaching inside her gray clutch, she pulled out an envelope. She handed it to Hina.

"Here. This is for you." Hina looked down at the envelope. Opening it, her eyes widened at the words.

 _You are invited to a private recital at 3pm on April 3rd. We would be honored by your presence. Sincerely,  
Kea, Assistant Manager of the Ouran Academy Host Club_

When Hina looked up, the young woman was gone. She ran down the hall, trying to catch a glimpse of the woman. She was nowhere to be seen. Smiling softly, Hina clutched the card to her chest.

"Okay. I'll come. It sounds like fun."

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kea waited in the hallway of Ouran's south building. She was wearing the same outfit she had worn to the elementary school so as to make her easier to identify. Of course, she had her glasses on, instead of contacts, and her hair up in a ponytail. She wasn't about to go without her glasses whilst in Ouran.

Looking up, she smiled softly at the sight of a small figure walking timidly down the lane. Kea stepped out into the the sun, waving to the girl. She smiled back, picking up her pace. She stopped in front of Kea, looking up at the taller brunette.

"Hi! You're the one who gave the the letter, aren't you?" Hina tilted her head. "Why are you wearing glasses?"

"I am, and I usually wear them. Are you ready?" Hina nodded.

"Yeah. Although, I have to ask… why me?" Kea giggled softly, extending a hand to the girl. Hina slipped her small hand into Kea's slightly larger one.

"You'll see soon, darling. Come on now. We don't want to be late." Hina smiled, closing her eyes.

"Okay!" She gripped Kea's hand. As they walked up the stairs, Hina couldn't help but feel nervous. She looked up when Kea squeezed her hand slightly in comfort.

"Don't worry, little one. You're going to be fine." Hina could only nod. Finally, they stood in front of the doors to Music Room #3. "Do you want to open the door?"

"O, okay." Slipping her hand from Kea's grasp, she clasping the handle. When she looked back, Kea smiled gently, nodding.

"Go ahead. They're waiting for you." Hina smiled back, taking a deep breath as she entered the room. An amazing sight met her.

Rose petals flew out as the doors flew open. On her right was an attractive young man with auburn hair, a tall, black-haired teen, and a cute blonde who looked like he was in grade school hanging off his shoulders. On her left was another attractive young man who looked identical to the first on her right, another black-haired boy, though he was shorter and wore glasses, a brunette teen with large brown eyes, and a tall blonde boy with purple eyes. All wore matching cream-colored tailcoats with a pink undershirt and brown pants with red-and-yellow striped ties… and all were smiling.

"Welcome princess." They said in unison. "We've been waiting." The tall blonde kneeled in front of her. His eyes were closed as he began to speak.

"I present to you… Shiro Takaoji's…" He held out a hand, pointing behind him. If possible, Hina's eyes widened further than they already had. There were two grand pianos… and Shiro was sitting at one of them. "Piano recital."

Hina blushed as she realized that this is why Shiro hadn't been around for any breaks the past week. She glanced back at Kea. The taller brunette nodded, a sweet, caring smile on her face. She motioned slightly with her head for Hina to turn around. Doing so, she saw the taller blonde pull out the chair sitting in front of the second piano.

"If you please, princess." Hina gasped softly, a smile on her face. Shiro turned to look at her, a smile on his face as well.

"Let's play together, Hina." She closed her eyes as her smile grew.

"Okay!" She sat down at the piano. Exchanging a glance with Shiro, they began to play. The notes flooded the room.

On the side, Tamaki, Mitsukuni, Takashi, Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and Kea watched the two elementary school sweethearts play. Kea smiled to herself, a blush on her cheeks as well. Her eyes were soft as she watched Hina and Shiro, the former with a truly happy smile on her face, and the latter with joy in his eyes. She sighed softly, catching Kyoya's attention.

 _'I recognize that look.'_ He mentally smiled. _'It's the same look she had in her eyes when we helped Kanako and Tohru.'_ He slid behind her, his chest just about touching her back. This way, he could ensure his voice was a soft whisper.

"It seems you have a soft spot for children." Kea chuckled softly. To his surprise, she leaned against him. He was thankful he was taller than her so he could look straight forward.

"Who doesn't?" She responded in an equally soft voice. Kyoya looked down, and was immediately met with her cerulean gaze. "It would seem you have a soft spot for them as well, Kyoya. Or… perhaps…" she stood on her tiptoes, whispering in his ear.

"It's a simple matter of you simply liking to help people." Kyoya blushed, turning his head away. Kea's faint chuckles reached his ear as she stepped down, turning around to look at the two. "I thought so." He took a step back, cutting off the contact. Not that he didn't enjoy having her pressed against him.

He was just afraid that she would be able to feel his heart beating. It felt like it would pop out of his chest at any moment. And, if he was honest, he would rather die than let her know he was embarrassed. Well, let her know any more than he already had.

"We did a good thing."

 _'I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Tamaki.'_ Kyoya thought in relief. Everyone's attention, well, audio attention, was directed towards Tamaki.

"He loves with all his heart." Haruhi mused. "So I guess, that's one more way Shiro takes after you. Huh, Senpai?" Tamaki looked down at Haruhi, smiling.

"Why yes. I'd say so." Haruhi smiled softly up at him. A hand on her shoulder made her turn around. Kea was smiling down at her. Haruhi returned the grin, letting Kea pull her to rest on her shoulder. Kea rested her plaid-covered arm over Haruhi's shoulders.

 _'Wait a minute. PLAID!?'_ Haruhi recoiled, looking over Kea's attire. _'I knew it! She_ was _at Shiro's school!'_

"Something wrong, Haruhi?" Kea glanced at Haruhi, a confused look in her eyes.

"Oh. It's nothing." Kea smirked, pulling Haruhi back so the shorter girl's head rested on her shoulder again.

"Good."

 _'She's just like Kyoya-senpai.'_ Haruhi spared a glance at the bespectacled Host. To her surprise, his pinky finger was wrapped around Kea's. _'I wonder… do they like each other?'_

影女王

"So? You've been exchanging emails with Hina every day now that she's in Germany?"

"Yeah, more or less. I like her but she can get pretty jealous for an elementary school girl." He stated with no small amount of pride. "She'd be upset if she knew I was with you ladies, so let's keep this our little secret." Shiro wasn't Tamaki's apprentice for nothing.

It was only his tenth day, and he was already entertaining eleven women at once. Across the room, Kea groaned, leaning her forehead on her fingers.

"What has he done with that child?" Kea wasn't the only one upset at Shiro's transformation. Tamaki was irritated as well… but for an entirely different reason.

Shiro had stolen all of Tamaki's customers.

"You little brat! What are you doing? Those are my guests!" Shiro looked over the back of the couch, a smug look on his face.

"Heh. Well it looks like they found someone they like better! It's so easy to steal your customers." Shiro's eyes glinted. "I think there's a new Host King in town." Tamaki screamed in rage. Kea bit her lip, choking slash snorting sounds escaping her throat. Hikaru and Kaoru wrapped themselves around Tamaki, trying to hold him back.

"I'd thought he'd make it through without exploding this time!" Kaoru was straining to hold the 2nd year back.

"We should've known he was going to blow up sooner or later!" Hikaru wasn't doing much better than his brother. Kea offered no help, instead relishing in the sight of Tamaki's overabundance of pride backfiring in his face. Kyoya was writing, seemingly oblivious to it all. Haruhi sighed.

"Shiro really does have a lot in common with Tamaki-senpai. I get the feeling that senpai was also a spoiled brat when he was a kid." Tamaki, who was currently ranting in the arms of the twins, stopped. He turned best he could to look at Haruhi.

"I was not a spoiled brat! I was nothing like him when I was a kid! I was a sweet, innocent, precocious, adorable child! You hear me!?" Shiro just chuckled, closing his eyes while smiling and holding up two fingers in the 'Victory' sign. Kea shook her head affectionately at the child. Despite his spoiled demeanor and attitude, Shiro was a rather cute kid.

"Hey, Kea." She looked over at Kyoya, humming softly in questioning. "Did you happen to take a day off of school a couple weeks ago?" She hummed in recollection, tapping a finger on her chin.

"Well, I take every weekend off of school. So… yes. Quite a few actually." Kyoya groaned, letting his head fall. Kea giggled.

"Honestly Kyoya." She walked in front of him, her eyes glinting in amusement. "You take everything too seriously."

"You know what I meant." Kea smirked.

"I know. Which is why you are so easy to tease."

"Oh? How so?" Kea's smirk widened, looking immensely self-satisfied. Kyoya felt a slight twinge of fear in the back of his mind, but he ignored it.

"For example, I know exactly how to make you embarrassed." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh? And how would you go about doing that?"

"Like this." Leaning up, Kea kissed his nose. His cheeks turned bright red at the brief contact. "Told you." Kyoya was frozen as Kea sauntered off, a satisfied sway in her hips as she walked.

It was only once a door closed did he snap out of his daze. Lifting a hand, he clutched his nose. Using his fingers, he started to rub it before remembering that Kea didn't wear makeup. Feeling like a fool, he took a few deep breaths to calm his irratic heartbeat.

 _'Kea… you are certainly not making this easy. How am I supposed to figure out what you're doing to me when all you do is twist me into different positions I don't want to be in?'_ Sighing, he shook his head, returning his attention to his book. _'I'll sort everything out when I get home. Right now, I need to focus.'_

 ***/*\\*/*\\***

Kea grinned to herself as she laid on her bed. Holding the piece of paper above her head, she reread the words that she had already read dozens of times before. Even though what they said was no longer a surprise to her, she still loved reading them. Little giggles echoed around the room.

"Who knew you could be so sweet, Kyoya?" Kea bit her lip, despite her grin growing. "And idiotic." Rolling over, she flattened the paper, trying for the umpteenth time to smooth out the creases.

"Everyone knows you don't throw private thoughts like these away… lest someone read them." Kea finally let her laughter out, burying her face in her pillow. Once her amusement had subsided, she rolled over, looking up at her ceiling.

"Of course… it isn't fair for me to keep this to myself." A blush stained her cheeks. "Hopefully he'll realize that I'm not just teasing him soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." She closed her eyes tiredly.

"I don't know how long I'll be able to keep how I feel about him hidden for much longer either."

* * *

 **Translations:  
** **1)** Diss my heritage again, and I'll show you what an angry American woman can do, Ootori!

If any of you are otaku like I am, you'll notice that I changed the date from September 3rd to April 3rd. The reason is that I recently realized that the plot of Ouran High School Host Club kind of jumps all over the place during the school year. Unless they skip an entire summer, which would make Haruhi a 3rd year by the time of the season finale, which means that Mitsukuni and Takashi would have graduated two years or so before hand. Since they are integral to the plot of my story, I'm messing with the plotline of the original series a bit. Not too much, mind you. I'm simply rearranging the sequence the episodes take place. that being said, you'll notice things a little out of order.

Hope you enjoyed, and plllleeeeeaaaaassssee review! It really does mean everything to me, and reviews are what give me the drive to write. Thank you all! Much love! Till next time!


	9. ATTENTION!

ATTENTION! IT HAS RECENTLY COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT MY STORIES HAVE BEEN STOLEN! AS SUCH, I WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! TO LEARN MORE, VISIT THIS LINK: :/ wildrhov dot tumblr dot com/ post/ 138893541254/ all-fanfictionnet-stories-have-been-stolen (remove spaces and add periods where appropriate)

IF YOU HAVE STORIES ON HERE AS WELL, IT IS EXTREMELY LIKELY YOURS HAVE BEEN UNLAWFULLY COPIED AS WELL! DO YOUR PART AND HELP THE COMMUNITY STOP THESE THIEVES AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE! I HAVE FILED REPORTS, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL THE APPROPRIATE MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN! HELP ME TAKE THESE THIEVES DOWN! TAKE BACK YOUR STORIES! YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT WITHIN THE LAW TO PERSECUTE THESE PEOPLE UNTIL THEY ARE BANNED FROM THE INTERNET AND THEY HAVE RETURNED OUR STORIES!

ALSO, I KNOW YOU ARE READING THIS, YOU PUNKS WHO HAVE STOLEN MY STORIES! I KNOW BECAUSE I'VE SEEN IT ON YOUR SITE! KNOW THAT I AM NOT BLUFFING! I _**WILL**_ GET MY STORIES BACK, AND I _**WILL**_ SEE YOU PROSECUTED TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW! THIS IS NOT A JOKE, AND I WILL NOT REST UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO JUSTICE!


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